


Into the Lair of Dôl Arnách

by Ace1399



Category: Destiny - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 92,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25198228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace1399/pseuds/Ace1399
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Ace sat quietly in his favorite spot at the Tower; a nondescript balcony situated on the opposite side of the building’s summit. It was far from where the majority of the traffic took place, a place where the Hunter could see the dangerous, untamed lands of the Wild stretch out before him. Most of his fellow Guardians spent their time on the other side of the Tower, in view of the Last Safe City and the Travler overhead. Ace preferred the greener vista of the forest and mountains that stretched out before the Wall. He didn’t shun the company of his fellows, but he was very much like his fellow Hunters in that there was something about the Wild that pulled him away from civilization. Honestly, most Hunters avoided tarrying long in the Tower whenever they didn’t have business keeping them there.

Feet dangling over the balcony’s edge and cloak flapping in the breeze, Ace enjoyed the view here. It was difficult to find a place where he could simply appreciate mountains rising up from the earth. The Tower’s view was unrivaled. And then there was also the jumpship traffic, coming and going from the Hangar. Ace would occasionally spot a particularly well-designed ship and experience a moment of envy. The fact that there were many who were jealous of his Waning Star jumpship always helped the moment pass swiftly.

It was in this spot, so close to the bustle of the Vanguard and the City’s Guardians, yet merely on the fringes of the activity and somewhat removed from it, that Ace could think. He would often ponder the idiosyncrasies of his reality. His favorite musing was considering why he, a robotic Exomind, experienced sensations that didn’t make any sense. Sensations that were part of existence for an organic body. For example, why did he like to eat food and could experience taste? Or why did he experience nausea when confronted with something particularly disgusting or disturbing? Exos did not breath, yet they would find themselves panting with exertion during times of duress.

And Guardians were often in great duress. They stood between the last few remnants of Humanity and the forces that would snuff them all out for the sin of being the last to be chosen by the Traveler. Ace’s ghost, Mal, often talked about the Traveler’s gift to Humanity, but Ace sometimes wondered about that gift. The small, cuboid machine was currently in its incorporeal form, residing in its hiding place within Ace’s being.

Today, he pondered his kind’s ability to experience physical pain. He was able to think of a couple reasons why it would be useful. His entire body was encased in tactile sensors; after all, he could feel when he was being touched or being struck. A pain receptor would help him to swiftly understand when a physical contact was a threat, though. But the degree to which he could experience pain, that was puzzling. Ace had seen mortal Humans and Awoken on various battlefields; had witnessed them seriously wounded. Based on their reactions, the pain he felt when an enemy’s attack managed to pierce his personal shield was on par with their own. Why not program Exos to experience a more minor degree of pain?

“Ace!” a voice called out from behind, interrupting his contemplation. It didn’t bother him; he had held this exact same mental exercise hundreds of times now.

The Exo turned to regard the Guardian approaching. Deoxys, a Human male Titan, strode forward. “Hey, Deo, how’s it going?”

The Titan covered the final distance across the small courtyard to the balcony and lowered himself to sit next to the Hunter. “I figured I would find you here. Since there aren’t any Sparrow races going on right now,” he remarked.

“Well, no races worth competing in or watching,” Ace laughed. Being an Exo, the sound was synthesized, but somehow sounded as natural as anyone else’s voice.

“I dunno. There’s a newcomer you may want to check out. They’ve been racking up a lot of wins.”

“You mean that Guardian who cracked the Vault of Glass?”

“The one and same,” Deoxys confirmed.

Ace was about to make an offhand comment about all the newcomers to the underworld of Sparrow racing when an emergency transmission interrupted the discussion.

“All available personnel,” Zavala’s commanding voice rang clearly through both of the Guardian’s comm units, “We have an assault on one of the City’s hydroelectric power stations. Sector 5 A. Any Guardians in the area, please report and respond to the threat.”

Ace stood up.

“Sector 5 A is all the way on the other side of the City from here. We’re not exactly ‘in the area’,” Deoxys commented.

“No one is. Let’s go.” To emphasize his point, the Hunter held out a hand and willed his ghost to appear, “Mal, ready the transmat and get the ship ready to go.”

The ghost’s cuboid frame twitched slightly as it responded, “Right away.”

Deoxys sighed as he rose reluctantly to his feet. “Fine, but when we get back, I have something to run by you,” the Titan summoned his ghost and gave the same command to depart.

Ace gave an Exo’s robotic approximation of a grin to the Human just before his ship’s transmaterialization field surrounded his body, deconstructing him in the blink of an eye. A moment later, he found himself in the cockpit of his auto-piloting jumpship. The impulse engine of the Waning Star hummed cheerily as it slowly drifted out of the gigantic Hangar. Out of the corner of his eye, Ace could see Deoxys’s Aurora Lance lift off. The telltale blue flash of a transmat in the in the other ship’s cockpit informed him that the Titan had arrived.

“Doesn’t jumpship seem like overkill?” Deoxys’s voice came over the ship’s coms.

Ace shrugged, “It’s faster than taking Sparrows, especially since I really don’t know the terrain around the Wall. And you know how the Speaker reacted the last time a Guardian took a Sparrow through the City.”

A few minutes later, the Hunter and Titan transmaterialized in the forest, a hundred meters south of the power generator’s building. The thing looked like a concrete monolith next to the river and accompanying dam. Ace picked up the sound of birds singing in the distance and the smell of moist earth beneath his feet. Moisture from the river powering the dam’s turbines filled the air. The serenity of the scene sang to Ace’s soul.

But it was incredibly wrong. “Where is the threat?” Ace whispered.

“What do you mean?” Deoxys replied.

“It’s too quiet,” Ace answered, “Birds wouldn’t be singing if there was something going on out here.”

“Ace,” Deoxys’s ghost spoke over the communications relay in his helmet, “We have just received report that the enemy is below ground.”

The Titan and Hunter exchanged a brief glance before breaking into a sprint for the building. The large, metal doors were left slightly ajar and were the only feature to the concrete edifice. No windows or other openings. Ace hoped that the power hadn’t yet been interrupted. He was not a fan of fighting in the dark. Using Mal as a lantern exposed the ghost to enemy attack.

Relief filled the Guardian as he shouldered the heavy door open; artificial lighting filled the large area within. The relief was short lived, though, as the sound of gun fire soon came from the stairwell below. The center of the multi-level room was a massive power transformer that converted the electricity that was generated by the dam’s turbines into power that could be divided and transmitted to the City. Catwalks surrounded the transformer at each level and were connected by stairwells and every corner of the room. A bank of computers and monitors filled the wall to the left of the doorway. Ace noted that one of the monitors displayed two others in armor and wielding rifles. They were taking cover on either side of a doorway, taking turns firing at whatever was on the other side.

“Hive,” Deoxys announced. Ace turned to look at him. Even with the helmet covering the Exo’s face, the Titan could tell that Ace was confused. “The shape and color of those blasts hitting the door frame. Hive Acolytes.”

“We better get moving. I can’t tell if those are Guardians or not down there,” Ace shouted as he vaulted over the railing of the catwalk. The ceiling was 3 levels up, but the ground had been dug down 4 levels. Just before landing, and thus causing serious damage to himself, the Hunter used his Light-given ability to boost himself midair to arrest his descent. The Titan followed suit, performing a similar trick to stop himself from crashing painfully into the floor. The sound of gun fire was much louder now that they were on the bottom level, the same as the doorway that fed underground.

Deoxys took the lead and charged first into the dimmer light of the hallway, his trusted Imago Loop clenched in his hand. Ace was right on his heels as they followed the sound of fighting. They passed several unremarkable, mostly empty rooms on their dash to support whoever was fighting the Hive. Ace glanced in as he passed each one, but didn’t see anything of interest. A cry of pain put an end to this more careful progress. It became a mad dash, regardless of whatever potential threats they may leave at their backs. Ace was barely able to keep up with the rushing Titan.

They rounded a corner and found the doorway that the two of them had observed in the security monitor. The two Earthers were still in position, however one clutched at a shoulder that was bleeding through a large rent in the armor. The frantic panting for breath and panicked way that he tore at the armor to find a way to stem the blood flow told Ace all he needed.

“Ghostless! Mal!” Ace shouted over the din of gunfire and Hive chattering, “Get the mortals out of here!”

Deoxys rushed forward and firmly pushed the unwounded man behind cover. Ace sensed the release of Light power pour out of the Titan as he summoned a towering wall of energy. Void bolts from the Hive slammed against the semi-tangible barricade.

Ace moved to the wounded man’s side and placed a hand on the undamaged shoulder, drawing his attention. “I’m transmatting you to my ship. We’ll get you to a hospital. Mal! Now!”

A blue glow surrounded the wounded man’s body. A moment later, he had dematerialized and was gone. The Hunter looked to his left and saw that Deoxys had done the same.

“Both ships are departing,” Mal informed them, “The nearest facility has been notified and is preparing for their arrival.”

“Sounds good. Let’s see what we’re dealing with,” Deoxys shouted just before plunging through the energy barricade.

Ace rolled his eyes at the other Guardian’s recklessness. However, given that two mortal City militia members had been able to hold back the attack for so long, it must not have been a very serious incursion. Still, the Exo doubted very much that his Human companion had considered any of that.

“Mal, how long before our ships can return?” Ace asked as he, too, stepped through the barrier.

“It will be a while. They want to receive him physically rather than via another transmat,” the ghost answered.

Ace could barely make out the Hive Acolytes in the darker hallway beyond. Something had damaged the lighting system on this side of the doorway. Deoxys had slipped into a side room, stepping in and out of the hallway to take cover as needed. The Hunter shouldered his Hung Jury scout rifle and opened fire.

The Hive had been focused on the Titan’s initial charge into the fray. They were taken surprise by the Hunter’s first well-placed shots. Six rounds fired and two Acolytes fell to the ground. He could make out a handful more of dark shapes in the gloomy darkness. It was difficult to determine if there were any more taking cover further back. Then a blinding flash of Arc energy robbed Ace’s vision. Lightning throbbed and pulsed outward from in the midst of the nearest Hive soldiers. Deoxys rushed out, following the devastation caused by his grenade. Ace’s sight returned just in time to witness the Titan’s hand cannon eliminate the last Acolyte that had escaped the pulse grenade’s lightning.

“What are the odds that there are more of these further down?” Deoxys asked, nudging one of the corpses with a toe.

Shaking the afterimage of lightning from his vision, Ace replied, “I doubt it. They are usually quick to respond en masse to any threat in their vicinity. Still...”

“Yeah. We’d better double check.”

“We have another fire team inbound,” Deoxys’s ghost announced over the com, “They should be here in a few minutes.”

Deoxys chuckled, “They can help clean up.”

Ace was about to laugh as well when the faint sound of whispering reached his ears. Despite the relative quietness of it, the wrongness of the sound seemed to assault him. Deoxys heard it as well as he swiftly spun around to train his hand cannon on the dark gloom of the hallway. Ace turned to look in the opposite direction, at the doorway behind them. It was impossible to determine where the sound was originating from.

There was no sign of the source, though, but the sound grew louder. And with that, the air around both of the Guardians suddenly became heavy and thick. Ace felt his limbs shake as they struggled to remain upright. He tried to turn his head to look back toward Deoxys, but the effort was monumental. The whispers became scratching nails that bit and tore at his consciousness. Thousands of tiny spikes that reacted to every movement. Deoxys collapsed to his hands and knees just before Ace. It felt like the gravity in this one space had been doubled or tripled. If Ace’s ears could bleed, they would. In fact, the Exo could swear that he honestly felt blood flowing from either side of his head and trickling down his neck. There was something metaphysical and yet very real about the sensations he was experiencing. 

As they fell, both Guardians had turned toward each other. And from a storage room situated between the two, a floating shadow entered the hallway. Ace was able to make out tattered cloth hanging in strips from a gaunt, chitinous frame. The robe barely touched the floor as the creature turned about to observe the Guardians.

“Wizard!” both ghosts screamed. Their voices sounded distant and muffled. Despite this, Ace could feel the fear in their voices.

The scratching nails converged to form a semblance of voice, “Foolish things of the Light. You would ally yourself with a dead god against those who have defeated it time and again?”

Ace was able to raise his head and look the Hive Wizard in the face. A few feet away, on the opposite side of the floating menace, Deoxys trembled with the effort as he did the same. Both Guardians defiantly refused to kneel.

“Human. I will unbond the Light from your soul as I strip the flesh from your bones,” it whispered as it regarded the Titan. Then, turning to the Hunter, it smiled, “Machine. Your soul also screams with delicious pain. I will dine upon your suffering as I flense the Light from your soul as well. Dôl Arnách has come to feast on your Light.”

Ace could feel the tattered cloth of the Hive’s robe brush against him as the Wizard caressed his face. Lovingly. Seductively. The Hunter’s stomach convulsed.

“No!” the Titan unexpectedly roared in outrage. Ace looked across at the other Guardian to see Deoxys suddenly standing tall, wreathed in Arc Light. He called out a challenge, “Do you want our Light? Then try and take it!”

Dôl Arnách turned from the Hunter just in time to witness the Titan’s savage attack. Deoxys reared back with both fists clenched above his head and then hurled his entire body forward. The Arc Light managed to surge and gather at those fists just before they connected with the Hive Wizard. A terrible thunderclap preceded the explosion as raw power poured out from the Titan, into his foe.

The cry of pain that came from the Wizard pierced Ace’s skull with agony. If Deoxys shared the same pain, it only served to enrage him more as he delivered another Arc-empowered blow.

The Wizard spun away from the attacks as it clutched its chest with both hands. Panting and trembling with the effort to stand, Deoxys did not pursue. “Fools!” Dôl Arnách screamed, “I will feast on your Light and will make sure that your pain lasts for an eon! Have a taste!”

The Wizard lifted a hand and a fist sized ball of fire appeared. Dôl Arnách sent the ball streaking toward Ace’s still-prone form. The flames met with the Hunter’s energy shield and tore a great hole into it. Ace managed to find his strength in the next moment and rose to his feet. Before he could bring his weapon into position, another fireball struck the Exo in the face and knocked him back to the floor with a grunt.

Hand cannon fire from Deoxys’s weapon drew Dôl Arnách’s attention. The Wizard threw up both hands in a futile attempt to ward off the attack. Rolling to his feet, Ace could see tiny flecks of chitin fly away from the Wizard’s arms and body under the assault.

The Hunter closed his eyes and felt the power of the Light pooling within him, clamoring for release. Ace relaxed briefly and the Light poured forth. Opening his eyes as the power sang a crescendo and Arc energy burst around him. A stave of pure Arc energy appeared in his hand and Ace leapt forward. He felt the pole strike into the Hive’s midsection with a clap of thunder, drawing forth another scream of pain and rage.

Summoning a slew of fireballs, Dôl Arnách countered with rapid fire. Ace ignored the Wizard’s attack and continued to press with savage fury. After withstanding a handful of blows, the Wizard drew back with a screech.

“You will suffer before the end!” Dôl Arnách cried out as it’s body began to show signs of becoming immaterial. Ace’s final attack passed through the creature’s now partially faded form. Deoxys lowered his Imago Loop as soon as he realized that the bullets were now striking the wall behind. “I will feed well on your Light. You are worthy of a feast and I will draw out your pain.”

Dôl Arnách’s voice trailed away to nothingness as the Wizard’s ethereal form passed through the wall.

The Arc power dissipating with a climatic burst, Ace drew his Hung Jury and aimed it at the spot on the wall where the Wizard had passed through. Deoxys frantically turned about, searching for the Hive threat to reappear.

“I think it’s gone,” Mal quietly announced a couple moments later, “The other fireteam has arrived at th-“ blackness cut the ghost’s announcement short as Ace lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Ace awoke on the concrete floor of the transformer building. Mal hovered expectantly over him, its anxious concern showing in how the ghost rapidly spun the cuboid shell that framed its central orb. “Thank goodness!” it exclaimed.

Sitting up slowly, the Hunter looked around. Deoxys was nearby, also rising to his feet, and a third Guardian stood near the doorway. Deoxys’s ghost commented, “Something prevented us from reviving you both. It wasn’t until these Guardians arrived and pulled you out of there that we could bring you back.”

Ace and Deoxys both turned to regard the third Guardian, another Titan, and weakly saluted their thanks. “Well, now that you two are on your feet, I’m going to check in with my fire team,” the Titan remarked. As she turned and left the room, the other two moved to the stairwell and sat down.

“Should we be worried about them?” the Exo asked.

“Maybe,” the Human Guardian replied, “but I don’t have the energy to go after them quite yet.”

Ace nodded, “I feel the same. Mal, what’s wrong with us?”

Still in physical form, the ghost hovered close by as it responded, “We don’t know. Something about that Wizard’s attack suppressed our connection to the Light. It wasn’t until they got your bodies out of there that we could revive you.”

“Pay close attention to their comms,” Deoxys grunted, “If they get into trouble, we need to know right away.”

“I doubt they will run into that... that...” Ace paused.

“Dôl Arnách,” Mal offered.

“Thanks,” Ace continued, “I doubt that it is sticking around. Those attacks hurt it pretty seriously.”

“That name,” Deoxys muttered.

“What is on your mind?” Ace asked.

Shaking his head, Deoxys answered, “I don’t know. I just wonder about that Hive Wizard. It wasn’t like any other Wizard I’ve ever seen.”

“I haven’t faced many of its kind, so I really don’t have much of a comparison,” Ace shrugged.

“Well, I have fought enough to know that thing was powerful,” Deoxys stood up and took a few steps, testing out his revived body’s strength, “The ones I have run into on Luna are beyond anything I’ve seen on Earth.”

Ace looked up sharply, “You think that thing was from a Luna brood?”

Mal spoke up, “Ace, I think I can modify your helmet so that it will insulate against the effects of the Wizard’s song.”

Deoxys looked to his own ghost, “Can you?”

“I believe so. The harmonics of your Helmet’s energy shield can be adjusted to match the frequency,” it explained, “It was the Wizard’s attack on your mind that debilitated you both.”

“Yes,” Mal agreed, “we detected no physical distortion that would have caused you two to be unable to move.”

“I do not want to repeat that experience,” Ace sighed as he finally, reluctantly stood up.

Deoxys chuckled, “I agree. Let’s go see how our rescuers are doing.”

Nodding wearily, Ace followed Deoxys back into the tunnel. Weapons ready, but moving at a more normal pace, the two followed their original path back to the place of their encounter with Dôl Arnách. Now that there was no longer a need to rush to deal with living Hive, Ace was able to pay closer attention to the rooms that they passed. Still nothing of real interest as they passed by, but the Exo began to gain an understanding of how the complex worked. Giant spools of spare conduit filled a couple of the rooms, while others contained spools of heavy gauge wiring. One room housed a bank of backup computers and a large shelf of tools. The power facility was very much equipped to last for a long time. If there was any damage to the existing facilities, it could be quickly repaired with the supplies on hand. There was no need to wait for hardware to be brought in.

“Mal,” Ace asked quietly, “how much of the City relies on power from this dam?”

“No key City or Vanguard resources rely on power from this particular hydroelectric plant,” the ghost answered, “But one of the largest civilian sectors is fed by power gathered here.”

“Then this wasn’t a very strategic position to destroy,” Ace observed.

“They couldn’t know that.”

“Maybe. After all, we did have guards posted here. Mortal militia members stationed outside of the City.”

“Good point. Still, the Hive have never shown much interest in taking out facilities,” Mal commented, “That is something more like what we would expect from the Fallen. But this facility is too close to the City for those filthy pirates to be interested in.”

“What does it matter why they were here?” Deoxys suddenly interrupted, “The fact is that they were here and we had to put them down.”

They had reached the doorway where the fight had taken place. Lighting had been restored, so they were better able to take stock of what they had been battling. The Acolytes still laid where they fell. Their inhuman faces, wrought from a chitinous exoskeleton, stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Shit!” Deoxys exclaimed from further ahead.

Ace looked up to see the Titan inspecting another body. Human. The Hunter quickly stepped forward to join him.

“It’s too late,” Mal observed, “I would estimate that he fell before we even arrived.”

The Exo looked up and noted that there were three other bodies wearing the colors of City militia. And many more slain Hive around them. Acolytes and numerous Thrall.

“They fought hard,” Ace whispered. 

“And died,” Deoxys growled.

The Titan gripped his hand cannon tightly and stomped off, deeper into the tunnel. The Hunter quickened his pace to catch up. 

“Ace, your ships have returned from delivering the wounded,” Mal announced, “Medical staff staff are seeing to them now.”

Deoxys slowed his march a touch at the report. Ace paused a moment to consider their location. “Hey, Mal, shouldn’t we be at the dam by now?”

“You are correct,” his ghost replied, “we should be coming to the entrance to the turbine access area any moment.”

Deoxys pointed to a stairwell a few meters ahead, “Yeah, that would be it.”

“Where are the others?” Ace asked his ghost.

“They have found where the Hive got in and are inspecting it,” Mal answered, “They haven’t encountered any further threat.”

Ace climbed the stairs and entered a large chamber. The muted sound of heavy machinery that had once been nothing but background noise, suddenly became a deafening roar as Deoxys pushed open a heavy, thick door. The first thing that drew their immediate attention was a blasted hole on the far side of the room. Three Guardians strode out of the crack in the wall.

Ace waved a greeting to the three Guardians, two Warlocks and a Titan. “What did you find out?” his voice, carried over communication relay directly to the others, was not drowned out by the sound of working turbines.

“Just a tunnel that leads outside to the other side of the river,” a female Warlock explained, “It doesn’t go any deeper underground, so this isn’t a case of some unknown brood breaking its way out from deeper below.”

“So, they did target this place for an attack,” Deoxys cried out incredulously, “Why?”

The other Warlock, this one a male, shrugged, “I don’t know. We’ll report this to Ikora so that she can get the Hidden to look into it.”

“Great,” Deoxys snorted, “Well, maybe Zavala will put out a call for a strike team to go after that Wizard.”

The female Warlock turned to look at Deoxys. Even with the helmet shielding her face from view, Ace could tell that she was staring hard at the Titan. “You seem personally incensed by this attack,” she observed softly, “Did you know one of those Humans back there?”

Deoxys took a deep breath, calming himself considerably, before answering, “No. I just don’t like it when one of them dies.”

All four Guardians nodded quietly. Then the female Warlock replied, “You two finished off whatever came here. There isn’t anything left to handle. We are heading back to report to Zavala.”

Ace nodded and saluted again, a farewell. “Tell him that we’ll be there soon.”

And with that, the other three Guardians dematerialized with blue transmat flashes. Deoxys turned to Ace, “Is there something you want to check out before we go?”

“I just want to check out that tunnel,” the Hunter answered.

“Something about this attack doesn’t sit right with me,” the Titan agreed.

The two moved to inspect the crack in the concrete wall. Rubble spilled inward, indicating that the wall had been blasted from the opposite side. The tunnel itself, though, looked just as much like it had been clawed away as some sections appeared to have been melted. Ace ran a gloved hand over one of the melted sections. The carved tunnel was barely large enough for both Guardians to walk, single file, without need for hunching over.

“Why attack this place?” Ace whispered. 

As they exited the short tunnel, the Exo noted that the tunnel was out of sight from the plant’s transformer building, a small ridge was situated between the river bank and the tunnel’s mouth.

Deoxys, growing bored now that the threat was gone, spoke up, “We should go deliver our reports.”

Looking about, as if he expected Dôl Arnách to reappear, Ace made one last visual sweep of the area. The sound of the rushing river passing through the dam didn’t quite drown out the birdsongs filtering down from the evergreen canopy overhead. Mist from the river rose up into the air, to be carried off by a light breeze. The Hunter found it difficult to reconcile the serenity before him with the violence that had occurred mere minutes ago.

“Let’s go,” he agreed. A moment later, he found himself in the cockpit of his Waning Star. Shaking off the brief transmaterialization disorientation, Ace queued the City’s Hangar up as their next destination and activated the autopilot.

—————

“Thank you very much for your report, Guardian,” Zavala remarked after taking a few moments to peruse the Hunter’s statement. Mal had transmitted all of the mission data to the Tower for the Vanguard Leader’s review. Ace had disembarked and waited in the Courtyard for the debrief summoning. Deoxys had spent an hour in conference with the Awoken Titan leader before he was dismissed and Ace finally got called in.

Both Cayde-6 and Ikora were present and each had their own copy of the mission report displayed on tablets before them. Ikora’s forehead was furrowed with intense focus as she read and re-read specific portions of the missive. Cayde had quickly scanned the document and now his tablet lay on the table in front of the Hunter Exo.

“Excellent work saving the two City militia members,” Zavala’s baritone voice rang clear and measured, “Every mortal life saved is a small victory for the Vanguard.”

“We weren’t able to save them all,” Ace began to protest quietly.

“Yes, I understand, Hunter,” Ace could hear the sympathy in Zavala’s tone, “Despite our best efforts, some times it is simply not possible to be there in time. Such is the case of today’s tragedy. But, thanks to your quick actions, two souls were saved.”

Even though Exos don’t breath, Ace could feel himself breathing a little bit easier upon hearing the Vanguard leader’s proclamation. A small bit of the tension that had been bearing his shoulders down eased up. 

“I would like to know more about this ‘Dôl Arnách’,” Ikora stated.

Ace turned slightly to the right in order to face the darker skinned female Human. “I would be happy to answer any questions,” he replied.

The next hour was spent recounting specific details for the three Vanguard leaders. Mal answered as many questions as Ace did since the ghost’s scans were just as compelling to them as Ace’s observations. Hearing Mal describe the “song” that had incapacitated him and Deoxys was particularly engrossing.

“The frequency of the Wizard’s song allowed it to completely bypass the normal insulating effects of Guardian personal energy shields,” the ghost explained, “It was as if there were not any safeguards in place at all! However, when I tried to sample the song, I discovered that it doesn’t have the ability to incapacitate unless it is disrupted by itself. The song is only effective when localized in a small field that allows the harmony to interfere with itself to create a feedback loop that results in metaphysical disruptions.”

“Fascinating,” Warlock Ikora murmured, “That would explain why the Wizard would have to be close for the attack to have full effect. It would also explain why we haven’t been able to reproduce it with our own samples of other Hive songs.”

“What effect did it have on you, Guardian?” Zavala asked.

“Pain, mostly. It was so bad that we couldn’t stand. And our bodies felt extremely heavy,” Ace answered after a few seconds. He didn’t enjoy thinking about the encounter, “Every movement hurt, but it was difficult to move in the first place. Like being on a planet where the gravity is extreme.”

Zavala seemed to sense Ace’s discomfort at discussing the details and changed the topic of inquiry. Several minutes later, the Hunter left the Vanguard leaders’ conference and control room. The remaining questions had been fairly unremarkable and served only to confirm the same information that Mal had provided.

As the Hunter climbed the last few steps up from the wide stairwell that led to the Vanguard chamber, Deoxys called out, “Hey, Ace! Over here!”

Ace looked to his right to see the Human Titan leaning against the wall of the Postmaster kiosk. “Hey, Deo, what’s up?”

“Did you learn anything from them during your debrief?” Deoxys asked as he walked over.

“Learn anything?” Ace snorted, “Not hardly. They were the ones grilling me.”

“Oh, come on,” the Human protested as they started walking toward the archway that led down to the City. Both of their ghosts hovered overhead as they lazily followed the Guardians. “You’re an observant guy. You had to have picked something up during your conversation.”

“Well, I would hazard a guess that none of them have heard that Hive thing’s name before. Ikora was very interested in getting every last detail out of me on that matter.”

“Same here. She was intense. What about Cayde, though?”

“What about him?”

“Did Cayde say anything while you were in there?”

Ace thought about the debriefing for a few moments, replaying the discussion in his mind as they passed by the Speaker’s Vitalis. The giant machine performed its silent ballet as the two Guardians turned toward the final archway that exited the Tower. At last, Ace answered, “Cayde didn’t really talk at all while I was in there. Just made a couple jokes about wasting my time at the start and then was quiet.”

Deoxys shook his head, “Well, when Ikora was grilling me about Dôl Arnách’s name, Cayde mentioned something about a ‘World’s Grave’. You ever hear anything about it?”

“I haven’t. Have you?”

“No. And Zavala shut Cayde up quick as soon as he mentioned it.”

That certainly piqued Ace’s curiosity. “Something he doesn’t want us to know about?”

Deoxys nodded, “Exactly. So, what the hell is a ‘World’s Grave’?”

“And why does the Vanguard not want regular Guardians like us to know about it?”

Deoxys was quiet for a minute before replying, “It’s gotta be something dangerous. If it wasn’t th-“

Ace interrupted with a snort that was equal contempt and amusement, “Of course it’s dangerous. Everything outside of the City is dangerous as Hell and trying to kill the whole lot of us. Dangerous means nothing. This is something powerful. Something that could threaten the whole City, not just a couple regular Guardians.” The Exo waited a moment for the implication to set in before putting it bluntly, “That’s the kind of thing we should leave alone.”

“Then what are we going to do about that Wizard?” Deoxys protested.

Ace paused his descent down the stairwell to turn and regard the Titan. “Going to do?” he asked incredulously, “What do you mean?”

The human clenched a fist as he growled, “You know what I mean. Someone needs to put an end to that thing before anyone else gets killed.”

The Exo held up two hands placatingly, “Whoa, man. Calm down. We did our part already. We stopped it and we gave every bit of information we know to the Vanguard. Besides, from the sound of it, they already know more about what’s happening than we do.”

This seemed to mollify Deoxys somewhat. The two Guardians descended the final flight of stairs that brought them to the mid level of the Wall. This level was considered the lowest point for the Tower proper and the entrance to the actual City. On this wide courtyard built into the inward face of the Wall was a handful of City businesses that catered to the needs of the Vanguard and Guardians. A large cafeteria manned by a handful of different food vendors took a full half of the expansive plateau. It was popular with most Guardians because of the variety of foods available as well as the fact that it was the last point within range of transmat from a ship in the Hanger. Two Guardians transmaterialized at the far end right as Ace and Deoxys took their final steps down the stairwell.

It was likely also popular because of the fact that it was the nearest source of alcohol. Several vendors offered beer and other spirits. Zavala didn’t necessarily issue a ban on alcohol in the Tower, but no one was bold enough to drink in front of the imposing Titan Vanguard. Well, Shaxx might be bold enough, but the Crucible Handler never removed his helmet.

Deoxys made a bee line for the vendor that sold his favorite meal: savory meat on a stick with a side of whiskey in a glass. Ace followed. Gregory had a partnership with a brewer who crafted a decent stout beer.

Before entering the cafeteria area, Deoxys spun around, “Promise me, when they put out a Strike command, you’ll join me in finishing that thing.”

“Of course. You can always count on me.”

“I know,” Deoxys’s face had finally broken into an easy grin and he turned back to vendor booths.

The sunset painted the sky behind the Traveler a light orange. Dark clouds ominously gathering in the eastern sky threatened a heavy rainfall in the near future. The wind was a slight, gentle breeze that carried a faint smell of ozone; a promise that lightning would follow the rain. Ace could not help but appreciate the contrast of dark clouds against the light orange sunset as he joined Deoxys at a table in the courtyard a minute later.

The courtyard had a large overhang built out from the wall to protect the nearest half of the landing. The overhang protected a couple dozen tables and the vendor booths from the elements. Another dozen tables littered the area outside. About a quarter of the tables had one or two Guardians sitting at them and a handful of the City’s custodial frames moved about the place, keeping the courtyard tidy. Deoxys had chosen one of the seats closer to the far edge, outside the overhead cover.

The Hunter took an appreciative pull from his glass before commenting, “You never told me what you wanted to talk about earlier.”

The Titan rushed to chew and then swallowed his bite before replying, “Right! I wanted to have you check out a new Sparrow that I found on my last mission.”

With that, Deoxys suddenly had all of Ace’s undivided attention. “Yeah? What did you find?”

The evening passed into nightfall by the time the two of them finished discussing the details of the Titan’s newest Sparrow.


	3. Chapter 3

\- _One month later_ -

The screaming of the Sparrow’s engine took on a slightly less dangerous pitch as Ace eased off the accelerator. The red rock of Mars became less of an incoherent blur. As much as the Hunter wanted to catch up to Marcus Ren’s Sparrow, a mere 13 meters in the lead, he knew that pushing his vehicle’s engine past the limit would only result in disaster. Besides, the time spent pushing the engine into its red zone had not yielded in any significant gains. Yet, Marcus’s Lightrunner was really not any faster than Ace’s Ravensteel. While other Guardians had laughed and mocked Marcus for the apparent insanity of installing components from a jumpship Near Light Speed engine into his Sparrow, Ace had quietly paid Amanda Holliday to do the same for him.

Ace agreed that Marcus was a madman, but Ace would also readily admit that he was more than a little crazy as well. He was actually more than a little chagrined that he hadn’t thought of incorporating the NLS engineering first. It was worth the Glimmer he had handed over to Holliday.

So the two Sparrow racers had machines that were capable of the same velocities. Sheer speed would not win this race. And Marcus was masterfully executing every turn through the Martian ravine. Ace wasn’t sure that he could make the same claim for himself as he executed a lateral antigravity boost. He did it to maintain speed during an exceptionally tight left turn. However, he boosted a fraction of a second too soon and found himself swerving slightly as he had to compensate. The sound of Briene-2’s Sparrow grew louder as she closed some distance from behind.

“Shit!” Ace exclaimed softly. He had been working hard to keep the other Exo behind him and his overcorrection gave her the opening she had been looking for. He could barely make out the nose of Briene’s Sparrow inching in to his peripheral view. 

_“Ace_ ,” Mal’s disembodied voice, carried through the Guardian’s helmet com, rang clearly over the sound of the Sparrows’ engines, “ _Don’t worry about her. Catch Marcus_.”

Ace took a deep, calming breath and put the problem of Briene out of his mind. Marcus Ren’s Sparrow disappeared behind a sheer wall as he made another perfect hairpin turn. The leader of the pack of racers hadn’t eased off the throttle in the slightest as he came within inches of the cliff’s face. Ace edged his vehicle into the exact same line that Marcus took and kept the throttle open. As soon as the mountainside opened on his right, Ace threw his body to the side and pulled with all his strength. The Ravensteel’s engine responded with a whine as the Sparrow banked hard to the right. Ace waited until the opposite cliff wall was dangerously close before he activated the lateral booster. The Ravensteel practically bounced off the rocky face without actually making contact and Ace found himself accelerating straight ahead, no longer making a turn, in the direction opposite that he had been facing when he began the maneuver. He was perfectly aligned to complete the second half of the hairpin turn and had given up none of his speed.

Briene-2 attempted to execute the same turn. Unfortunately for the female Exo, she didn’t have enough booster reserves and her Solscout collided sideways with the cliff face. Ace winced involuntarily at the thought of the damage that the impact must have wrought upon her leg. Despite the fact that Briene-2 was an Exo, the collision would hurt. She was lucky that the Sparrow didn’t explode.

“ _Kerissa has passed Briene_ ,” Mal commented, “ _However, she didn’t take the same suicidal route that you did_.”

Ace grinned at that. Not worrying about being overtaken definitely made focusing on catching up to first position easier. He could see the Lightrunner’s thruster clearly as they both threaded their way through a handful of curves. Then it happened. Marcus suddenly served unexpectedly, his Sparrow darting wide and dropping speed rapidly as the Hunter worked to stay on the track. Ace couldn’t believe his luck. His only chance at catching up to Marcus was if the other Hunter made a mistake, and this was a huge mistake. He had no intention of wasting this opportunity.

“ _Wait. Ace!_ ” Mal’s warning filled his helmet.

Too late. Ace saw why Marcus had made the sudden maneuver. This track, being on Mars, passed by an area that was patrolled by both Vex and Cabal forces. Those patrols often clashed with each other as the boundary between areas controlled by the two races was constantly in flux. When such an incident did occur, though, races would be cancelled. It was too dangerous, even for Guardians, to race Sparrows through a pitched battle between the Vex and Cabal.

Today, however, a Vex patrol had happened upon the Guardian’s event. A Goblin’s grenade charge had been launched to intercept Marcus’s Lightrunner. But the crafty Sparrow racer had seen the grenade coming and darted to the side. Now, the charge sat right in Ace’s path.

Before he could alter his course in any way, the charge detonated right under the nose of his Ravensteel. The force of the blast upended the vehicle and threw Ace to the side. He tried to hold on to the Sparrow, but the concussive energy stunned him. Without a driver, the speeding vehicle became an unguided middle, crashing into the rocky wall.

Ace managed to roll to the side as he hit the dusty ground. Reddish dirt and sand flew up into the air with the impact. The Exo stayed prone as he didn’t relish the idea of being struck by Kerissa. Then, with a disorienting transmaterialization flash, Ace suddenly found himself sitting in the cockpit of his Waning Star. 

“ _-his Sparrow! And Ace has just been pulled to his ship so that his ghost can repair the vehicle and get him back in the race_.” the voice of a female Sparrow Racing League announcer filled the cabin of his ship. Ace preferred not to have their discourse filling his helmet while racing. The commentary was simply too distracting. Ace noticed a blinking indicator on his ship’s display.

A male voice continued, “ _Well, Erinea, everyone knows that enemies on the track are just another hazard that our rac-_ “

Without warning, and with another blue transmat flash, Ace found himself back on the track. A repaired and ready Ravensteel sat beneath the racer. After experiencing so many such incidents now, the Exo Hunter was not fazed and he simply opened the throttle to maximum acceleration. Enoch Bast’s Snowscream was a handful of meters ahead.

Fifth place. So much for a podium finish.

——————

“ _Well, Percival, you and I both know how rough it is to lose your Sparrow so late in the third lap_ ,” SRL announcer Erinea’s voice again filled the cockpit of Ace’s jumpship. He could see three other ships sharing nearby space, matching orbit over Mars’s Meridian Bay. Two other ships had recently departed, most likely transporting those racers back to the City. 

“ _Yes, I certainly do, Erinea_ ,” a male voice answered, “ _And I know well the frustration that Ace must be feeling. Today’s race was one of his best runs to date and he was definitely closing in on Marcus before that explosion took his Sparrow out_.”

“ _I have raced against Marcus Ren dozens of times myself_ ,” Erinea replied, “ _and I can say that it is no easy feat to keep up with him. Especially since he made those modifications to his Sparrow last month_.”

Percival laughed, “ _By now, everyone that wants to compete in SRL has made the same NLS modifications to their machines. In fact, all the new Sparrow designs have the new tech already baked in and ready to-_ ”

The feed cut abruptly as Ace switched off the comm. He enjoyed listening to the post-race commentary, even for those races that he lost. Especially when he lost. Most of the announcers for the Sparrow Racing League were also hardcore competitors and Ace found himself learning from their observations. There was nothing he could learn from them today, though. Poor luck had ended his push for Marcus’s position.

The notification indicator on the ship’s display finally caught Ace’s attention. He reached a metallic hand and activated the message display.

——————

_ Ace, _

_ I am sorry to deliver news like this, but I wanted to make sure you got this right away. Deoxys is gone. He fell on Luna and his ghost fell with him. We will be holding a ceremony in his honor the evening of Earth Day 133. Shaxx has granted permission to use Bannerfall for the ceremony. _

_~ Kaizyn_

——————

Silence filled the cabin of Ace’s Waning Star for several minutes. Memories from dozens of adventures out in the Wild played through his mind. While Ace had known many Guardians that died their final deaths, Deoxys’s passing struck a special chord. The Titan had been the very first Guardian that Ace had ever teamed up with in order to complete a joint Strike for the Vanguard. Many battles after that cemented a bond built of trust and respect between the two Guardians.

Deoxys was the probably the only other soul that Ace would consider to be a truly close friend. Earth 133 was two days away. 

“Mal,” Ace called out as he raised a robotic hand and summoned his ghost into physical manifestation. The ghost materialized and hovered in the air above the ship’s console.

“I am sorry, Ace,” Mal commented comfortingly, “He was an excellent Guardian and a good friend.”

“Find out what you can about his final death. Why was he on Luna?”

“I will see what I can find.”


	4. Chapter 4

Bannerfall’s main courtyard was dominated by a large, flowering tree. Pink and red blossoms covered the tree, even as many of the petals fell to the ground in the gentle breeze. The evening sky, having not yet given way to dusk, was a mixture of brilliant pink and deep orange on the eastern horizon as the sun struggled to remain above the edge of the western horizon. The tree’s branches stretched wide as it attempted to touch both of the horizons from its commanding position in the courtyard. Below the tree was set a small, wooden table.

Ace slowly descended the handful of stairs and then crossed the courtyard. There were a couple dozen Guardians in attendance at the moment. Most were silently standing about, considering their thoughts as they paid their respects. As he stepped up to the table, Ace looked down and examined the items on display.

Deoxys’s weathered helmet. One side was damaged badly, something had melted the top right quadrant and a gash had been torn down the center of the melted section. The polymer visor appeared to have the initial puncture point and the thin furrow ran toward the rear of the helmet from there. 

Next to the ruined helmet lay the Titan’s trusted hand cannon, his Imago Loop. The gun’s muzzle was caked with soot, but not from excessive firing of the weapon. Whatever had burned the helmet had likely also struck the hand cannon. Fortunately, Deoxys’s Imago Loop appeared to be relatively unaffected. The barrel remained straight and there didn’t seem to be any warping around of the cylinder or the frame.

Finally, Deoxys’s ghost. A mere shell, silent and unmoving. Deoxys had outfitted his companion with a custom, spherical shell that had been painted dark blue and gray. The shell matched the primary colors of the helmet. There was no apparent damage to the ghost, though. If the central orb wasn’t so dark, Ace would have half expected the thing to rise up from the table.

But it remained as lifeless and inert as the weapon and armor piece. Ace closed his eyes and bowed his head, silently wishing his friend farewell.

A minute later, a strong hand clasped his left shoulder. Ace turned and saw Kaijae standing there, his glowing, Awoken eyes fixed on the damaged helmet. The Exo looked a few feet beyond the Titan and saw his Awoken mate, Kaizyn standing nearby.

Kaizyn and Kaijae were inseparable and the story was that the both of them were Chosen at the same time, side by side. They believed that they had been in love before they died and the fact that they were Risen together meant that they were fated to continue to be together. Ace found the romanticism a little ridiculous, but he trusted the tale. He also believed that the love and respect that the two Titans shared was honest.

Kaizyn stepped forward, her glowing, purple eyes shimmering with tears that threatened to fall any moment. She gestured to chairs that had been set up in rows to the side of the courtyard. Ace followed the taller Kaijae to the seats and turned one about so that he sat facing the other two.

“We are glad that you made it,” Kaizyn commented as she sat next to her mate. Her diminutive frame appeared even tinier when next to the larger Kaijae. 

“Well, anything for Deo,” Ace answered quietly.

“Yes, well we are particularly grateful that you could make it,” Kaijae replied, “We were patrolling on Luna when we received a distress call from his ghost.”

Ace sat up and leaned forward, as if he could catch every word that was said even better, “You were there?”

“Not quite,” Kaizyn answered.

“We received the call and responded,” Kaijae explained, “There was a lot of interference and it took several minutes for Deo to reply to our acknowledgment.”

Kaizyn spoke up, “We received a partial coordinate. Jae had to request a retransmission since neither of our ghosts could unscramble the bad data. We didn’t have enough to mount a rescue attempt.”

Ace nodded. Partial coordinates were worse than useless.

Kaijae sighed heavily before he continued, “We finally got a response with the data. It took several minutes again, but it came through. But then we another transmission. You should listen to it. He mentioned you.”

——————

Deoxys’s whispered voice sounded like it was coming from a tunnel meters away, “ _Guys, I am in trouble here_.” 

Heavy panting for a few seconds. 

“ _I shouldn’t have come, but I couldn’t let her do it again. I ha_ -”

Silence for over a minute. 

“ _Shit. That was close. I don’t think I can get out of here, but I am going to try. It’s just so hard to even breath in this damn pit tha_ -”

Silence for several seconds.

“ _I’m not getting out of here. I can’t feel my Light any more. Tell Ace th- NO!_ ”

Deoxys’s chilling cry lasted less than a second before the recording abruptly went silent and ended.

——————

“He didn’t,” Ace whispered with disbelief.

“Didn’t what?” Kaizyn asked.

Ace looked up from the display at the two Awoken Guardians, “Has the Vanguard put together any Strike requests to hunt down a Hive Wizard?” When they both shook their heads, Ace summoned his ghost and asked, “Mal? Any Strike requests to hunt Dôl Arnách?”

“None. I would definitely have notified you if one had been posted,” the ghost answered.

“Wait,” Kaijae interrupted, “What was that name?”

Ace repeated, “Dôl Arnách.”

“Deoxys asked us about that name,” the Awoken male replied, “He was hunting down information regarding the World’s Grave.”

“Did he find it?” Ace wasn’t sure if he was in awe or terrified.

Kaizyn shook her head, “We have no idea. We blasted like Hell to the coordinates that he gave us and all we found was a Lunar crater,” she nodded at the table and Deoxys’s belongings, “Those were there.”

Ace sat back again, deflated. He considered the Titan’s words for a minute before asking, “Nothing at all?”

“Rock and dust. Not even a cave.”

“Nor was there a body,” Kaizyn added.

It was all too much to process so quickly. Ace leaned back and stared up at the sky as he digested all of this information. The sun had set and night was being ushered in. Where there had been vibrant pink and orange a few minutes ago, now the sky was darkening and a dusky blue had taken over. Lanterns had begun to cast their light over the gathering. Ace’s optics picked out the first few stars to appear.

He sat back up straight and looked to the two Awoken Titans, “Did you two help him with any of his search?”

The two Guardians shared a brief glance before Kaijae answered, “Not really. We gave him the name of a Cryptarch that might help him out.”

“Yeah? Who was that?”

Kaizyn leaned forward and put a hand on the Hunter’s arm, “Ace, maybe this isn’t something that you should go off on your own for. Maybe we three should work together.”

Ace produced a large sigh of relief, “Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t want to ask, but I really don’t want to do this alone!”

Kaijae tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes slightly as he regarded the Exo Hunter’s face, “But you would have gone alone?”

Ace didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.”

Kaizyn clapped her hands and smiled, “Well, it’s a good thing that you don’t have to!” She then turned to her Awoken mate, “What was the name of that Cryptarch, Jae?”

“Xander Lychel,” he answered.

Even though Exominds had robotic bodies, they were engineered to be able to replicate the greater majority of facial expressions that Humans used. Ace’s forehead did its best to approximate a furrowed brow as he considered the name. He didn’t exactly spend a lot of time with the Cryptarchs of the City, but he had run many missions on the behalf of their guild. 

Correctly reading the expression on the Exo’s face, Kaijae explained, “Xander is an Archivist that works primarily in the Academy. He really doesn’t have much interaction outside of his peers. But he has catalogued and learned a massive amount of stuff. If the Cryptarchs have any data on it, Xander will know of it.”

“How did you get to know him?” Ace asked.

“We got his name from one of his fellows as a favor owed to us,” Kaizyn answered with a laugh, “Poor Xander is incapable of withholding information from anyone who asks, but I also believe that he honestly enjoys it when people seek him out.”

Ace was about to comment when Mal’s silent voice inside his head interrupted him, “Ace, Zavala has arrived.”

The Hunter noticed in that moment how the gathering had fallen silent. Where there had been a dozen quiet conversations, now there was nothing. He leaned to the side so that he could look past the two Awoken and saw Zavala standing at the central archway. The Vanguard leader slowly stepped down into the courtyard and strode across to the table.

After a moment of respectful silence, Zavala turned about and addressed the gathering, “We have come here to pay respects to a Guardian who has fallen in service to our City. A Guardian who has fought for and served the people of the City. But Deoxys was more than simply a Guardian who did his duty. Deoxys was a trusted friend and companion to those who knew him.”

Zavala paused as he turned his head to take in the small crowd before continuing, “To be a Guardian means much more than simply being chosen to wield the Light. Being a Guardian requires dedication and sacrifice. Deoxys was dedicated to the City and his duty to the people. He made the ultimate sacrifice in his service of protecting Humanity,” he paused again, “Who would like to speak about the Deoxys, the man? The friend?”

Not everyone in attendance took a turn speaking, but many did. Most told stories about how the Titan had rescued them one time or another, lamenting that they wouldn’t be able to return the favor. Ace wasn’t the first to speak, but he did finally stand when Kaijae urged him with a strong nudge.

Stepping up to the table, the Exo turned and faced the audience. He began shakily, “I knew Deo for a few decades now. He was one of the first I met after I was freshly Risen. Lots of us have stories about him pulling us from one fire or another, but we also have just as many about us pulling him out, too. But the thing I will remember most about Deo is this,” Ace held up his hand and willed Mal into physical existence. The ghost appeared and turned to look at its Guardian. At a nod from Ace, the ghost floated over to the table and materialized two more items; a bottle of whisky and a small glass.

Ace picked up the bottle and broke the seal with a quick twist of the cap. He poured a splash of the alcohol into the glass and then raised it to the gathering, “The man appreciated a good drink.” And with that, Ace knocked back the glass with a swallow.

Every time he drank the liquor, the Exo marveled at how the drink managed to burn on the way down his throat. Today was no exception. The flavor filled his mouth and then he experience a tingling, burning sensation that followed the liquid down his throat.

Ace put the brief thought out of his mind as he held out the empty glass to the crowd. An invitation.

Zavala stepped forward. Given his well known feelings regarding alcohol in the Tower, Ace was not surprised to see shock on several faces as the Titan Vanguard accept the glass from the Hunter. Ace stepped aside as Zavala poured a couple ounces into the glass and then quickly drank it.

Zavala went back to his seat as Kaizyn took the glass from him. And then Kaijae. And so it went for the entire gathering. By the time the last Guardian had taken a drink, there was only a few ounces left in the bottle. Ace was barely able to get all of it into the glass before raising it one final time.

“To our friend. You will be missed, buddy.” Then Ace turned around and emptied the glass onto the ground near the tree. The whiskey quickly disappeared into the dirt around the tree’s roots.


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you think we should have involved the Kais in this investigation?” Mal asked its Guardian quietly.

Ace was currently leaning casually against the wall of the building situated opposite of the main entrance to the Cryptarch Academy. Basking in the warm, morning sunlight, the building did not appear very ornate, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t impressive. The structure took up the entire block that it had been placed on along with a simple, well manicured, green lawn surrounding the entire grounds. A wide staircase led up from the center of the block, beginning at the street, to a pair of vary large wooden doors. The building rose five stories up above the ground, and was fashioned out of grey brick. Windows dotted each level at regular intervals. While the Cryptarchs maintained several buildings in the City; several of their Archive Vaults had actually been built into the Wall, this building was attracting and training new scholars. For such a large, important piece of the City, there was surprisingly little traffic.

Ace turned his attention from the Academy to the ghost floating at his side, “Why not?”

“Well, the information that we are hunting after must be dangerous,” Mal explained, “After all, whatever Deoxys learned led him to his final death.”

“Exactly. When we get to Luna, we are going to need someone to watch our back,” Ace retorted, “And the Kais were his friend, too. They have just as much right to find out what happened to Deo as we do.”

Mal was silent for a moment before replying, “Yes, but is this really something we should be digging in to? After all, there are plenty of very real threats to the City right now.”

Ace looked sharply at the ghost, “You don’t believe that this is a threat? Anything that can give a Guardian their final death is a threat to everything.”

“Your ghost trying to talk you out of this?” a soft voice from behind startled Ace. The Hunter turned quickly to see Kaizyn walking up, her ghost floating at her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Ace chuckled, “Mal would prefer that we visit Zavala and get assigned a Strike mission.”

“I had the same conversation with Twilin last night. And I’m pretty sure that Jae was doing the same with Zuko this morning.”

Ace looked about, “Where is Jae?”

Kaizyn gestured to the Academy building, “He went ahead to find out which archive Xander is holed up in.”

Mal spoke up, “Kaijae found him and they are currently on sublevel seven. Archive hall six.”

“Let’s go,” Kaizyn smiled as she stepped past Ace, into the road and crossed to the Crytparch Academy. Ace followed closely behind, up the stairs and into the building.

The inside was just as simple and unassuming as the outside. The main lobby was a bit more impressive with its ceiling that reached all the way to the top of the seventh floor. A large half-circle made up the lobby area and balconies at each level looked down upon the entryway. However, there was very little decoration to be found. The walls were the same grey color as the exterior and the wooden doors were blank. The only ornamentation were placards hung beside each door, informing visitors of the room designation.

The center of the lobby was home to a circular kiosk, wherein a young Human in Cryptarch Academy robes sat. Kaizyn strode to the counter and flashed a smile at the young woman, “Hi there! Can you direct us to the elevator that can take us to sublevel seven?”

The young Cryptarch seemed surprised to have a visitor, but still answered quickly as she pointed to a corner of the lobby, “Those elevators will take you down below.”

“Thank you!” Kaizyn waved as she made for the indicated corner.

Ace was not as quick to move off. He looked up at the balconies and the doors on each level. “What’s in there?” he murmured.

“Mostly offices for professors and other teachers, but those doors,” the young woman pointed to two sets of double doors on either side of the lobby, “lead to the classrooms and other study chambers. It’s the same for each level up.”

“Up? What about down?”

“The sublevels are for research and archival.”

Before Ace could ask any more questions, Kaizyn called from the elevator, “Ace! Let’s go!”

The Exo thanked the young Cryptarch and swiftly crossed the lobby to the elevator. Kaizyn let the door close as soon as he stepped in. The button labeled, “S7” was already glowing.

A couple moments later, both Guardians stepped out, onto the sublevel floor. The artificial lighting of the underground level was a little harsh as it reflected off the bare, grey walls. The floor of the lobby had been of a darker wood that absorbed the warm, natural light that poured through the upper windows. This level’s floor was concrete that almost matched the color of the walls.

“I always feel a little sad for Xander whenever we come visit,” Kaizyn commented quietly, “This place could not possibly be any less cheerful.”

Their footsteps echoed as the two strode down the hallway. The doors were of the same wood as the rest of the Academy, so they did manage to break up the bleak monotony of the floor. As they passed two doors, one on either side of the hallway, Ace glanced at the placards, “Archive 1” and “Archive 2.”

He followed the Awoken Titan to the third set of doors and passed through the door labeled, “Archive 6.” Inside, Ace found several dozen rows of shelving, arranged so that they created a hallway from the door to the back of the room. As he followed Kaizyn toward the back area, his curiosity had him glancing all about. Encrypted engrams and other data storage devices filled the shelves, along with more books than the Hunter could count in passing. There was no space left empty in the archive hall.

At the opposite end of the room, Ace found a handful of small tables and chairs set against the wall. Kaijae was sitting at the table closest to the center. A male Human in Cryptarch Academy robes was standing at a different table with a handful of large books set on top. He had one opened and was thumbing through the pages.

Ace was surprised to see a ghost hovering near the Cryptarch’s head.

“Ah! Your friends have arrived,” the Human man looked up from the text.

“Yes,” Kaijae stood up, “Xander, of course you know Kaizyn. This is the Hunter that I told you about, Ace.”

Xander noticed Ace’s gaze focused on his ghost, “Yes, I am a Risen. But Guardian life does not suit me. I am much better use to the City in my capacity here at the Academy.”

Shaking his head, Ace apologized, “No, I’m sorry. I just didn’t know. Pleased to meet you.”

Xander smiled, “The pleasure is mine. So, how can I help you three?”

Ace’s curiosity resurfaced and wonder crept into his voice, “What is this place?”

“You are standing in one of the many archival rooms of the Academy. This particular room is dedicated to the preservation of Earth’s literature,” Xander explained. He stepped to the nearest shelf and picked up a small, greyish colored data engram, “This particular engram has the entire works of William Shakespeare in dozens of languages. We use it to print out the copies of individual books that you can find in the library or market. However, I doubt you came down here to ask me about archival work.”

Kaijae spoke up, “I haven’t said anything yet. We were waiting for you two.”

Ace nodded and replied, “Yes. We are looking into the death of Guardian Deoxys.”

Xander’s surprise was apparent, “Deoxys? That Titan who came to see me two weeks ago?”

Kaizyn sat in a chair and answered, “Yes. He fell on Luna.”

The others followed suit and sat down at the same table. The Cryptarch then commented, “Luna doesn’t surprise me. He was asking lots of questions about the World’s Grave.”

Ace sat forward, excited, “You know about the World’s Grave?”

Xander snorted, “I am surprised that all of you Guardians don’t know about the World’s Grave. Toland wrote about it in his journal. In fact, the Guardian who led the team that killed Crota was also able to find it.”

“Wait,” Kaijae interrupted, “What is the World’s Grave?”

“It’s basically the repository of all of the Hive’s knowledge,” Xander explained, “More information than we could possibly process. It is believed that the Hive managed to break the Bekenstein limit within the World’s Grave. There is no way to process it all. The Guardian that managed to find it was obviously unable to transmit it all back to the City.”

“Did we get anything that Deoxys was looking for?” Kaizyn asked.

“He was looking for data regarding a particularly nasty Wizard.”

“Dôl Arnách,” Ace interjected.

“Yes, but we don’t have anything regarding her,” Xander continued, “Mostly, we only have that kind of information for members of the Hive royal family. Crota and his father, Oryx. We also managed to receive a lot of information regarding Hive rituals. That helped flesh out some of the information mentioned by Toland’s journal.”

“If there isn’t any information available regarding the Wizard, then what happened to Deo?” Kaijae asked.

“Well, I would hazard a guess that our late Titan found something at the World’s Grave when he visited,” Xander replied, “Either the site of the Grave itself or wherever his investigation led him.”

“Deo went there?”

“I informed him where it could be found. It is on Luna and the other Guardian did provide coordinates. You can make the journey yourself and access the information it contains.”

Ace and Kaijae both were overwhelmed with excited as they jumped up together. The Exo exclaimed, “Let’s get going!”

Xander held up a hand in warning, “Be advised that the Hive will fiercely defend that site. Only an idiot would leave such a repository unguarded and undefended. The Hive are many terrible things, but their leadership is not stupid.”

Kaizyn stood up, joining Ace and Kaijae, “We understand. We will be careful.”

Xander nodded, “Good. I do not wish to send any more Guardians to their final death.”

“Thank you,” Ace replied, “We will make sure that we all will come back.”

“Here are the coordinates.”


	6. Chapter 6

The three Guardians gazed down into the lunar crater. They had managed to sneak past a couple of disorganized, smaller Fallen patrol forces. They didn’t fear the alien pirates, but they did not want to draw any attention to themselves. Engagements with the Fallen on Luna often resulted in Hive investigations, especially near the Hellmouth.

Hellmouth.

The foreboding pit lived up to the site’s given name. The far end of the deep crater had been carved into the shape of a macabre, gothic fortress; gigantic stone doors rose up from the rocky floor, framed by towering pillars of granite. Braziers of unnatural, green flames burned without fuel on either side of the entryway. A handful of large boulders and rocks littered the ground around the path that led to the doors.

Even though no one spoke, all three felt an air of heaviness settle upon them as soon as they looked upon the doorway. A sense of unseen malice weighed them down. Each Guardian glanced about, as if looking for the source of the imperceptible threat.

“This isn’t where you found Deo’s ghost, is it?” Ace finally broke the silence.

“No,” Kaijae answered quietly, “We would have mentioned,” he gestured to the fortress structure before them, “THIS if we had.”

“How do we get in?” Kaizyn whispered.

“Mal?” Ace summoned his ghost.

“There isn’t any data from the Archive on entry to the Hellmouth,” the ghost answered aloud as he materialized, “At least, nothing besides the obvious front door.”

“The place looks dead,” Kaijae muttered, “There isn’t any kind of patrols out here, keeping an eye out for anything.”

“Yeah, but we can all feel them in there,” Kaizyn replied, “My skin is practically crawling from it.”

Kaizyn’s ghost, Twilin, appeared at that comment, “It’s the Darkness. The Hive commune with the Darkness and no place has a stronger connection to it than a Hive holy site.”

“Great,” Ace snorted.

“Still,” Twilin continued, “The place needs ventilation. Even a Hive fortress. Scans from the ships indicate that there are a couple shafts just beyond the ridge.”

“Yes,” Mal added, “Hive magic has been used to alter areas of Luna’s core to create geothermal generators. These generators require vents to release excess heat and fumes.”

Kaijae shouldered his trusty shotgun, a Felwinter’s Lie replica, and turned to look beyond the foreboding doorway that had been carved into the cliff’s face. He then addressed the ghosts, “How far away to the nearest vent?”

“Not far,” Twilin answered. As the ghost spoke, an indicator appeared in each Guardian’s helmet visor.

Without a word, the three Guardians turned in unison and started walking toward the marker. Being so close to the Hive fortress, they unconsciously agreed that Sparrows would draw the very attention that they wished to avoid.

An hour of uneventful walking brought them to a crack in the grey Lunar rock. It was so nondescript that Ace had his ghost double-check the ship’s scans. The crack was barely large enough to accommodate a single Guardian in full armor.

“It’s a good thing I’m not one of those that gets fussy about scratching the paint job on my armor,” Kaijae commented after a moment’s consideration.

Kaizyn laughed, “Yeah, but I am pretty sure that you have spent more Glimmer with Eva Levante than Ace and I combined.”

“You’re just jealous at how fabulous I always look!” Kaijae retorted as he moved to the edge.

Ace stepped forward, “Wait. Let me scout it out first.”

Before either Titans could protest, the Hunter dropped to his knees and slipped into the small crack in the ground. Any reservations about this hole being a ventilation shaft for the Hive’s geothermal system instantly vanished as the temperature spiked significantly.

“Ace,” Mal had appeared when Ace entered the tunnel. It acted as a torch for its Guardian in the lightless chute. The ghost’s voice now came over the com link so that the other two Guardians could hear, “Your armor’s sensors are picking up dangerous levels of chlorine triflourode... hydrogen sulfide... and a mixture of other gases. Make sure that helmet rebreathers are properly sealed and functional.”

Zuko’s voice then came over the com link, “Dying of exposure in there would be bad. We could revive you, only to have you die again. We would have to transmat you out of there.”

“We’re good,” Kaizyn commented a moment later.

Mal’s voice came, this time, directly into Ace’s mind, “ _It’s a good thing Exominds don’t actually breath. I don’t want to find out what kind of damage the more corrosive gases could do to your body, but at least you wouldn’t die of asphyxiation_.”

Ace snorted at that. While he knew that the toxins in the air around him could not affect him like the others, he couldn’t help the unconscious reaction. He had already reflexively checked his helmet’s seal sensors and activated the rebreather. As he was checking the sensors, Ace noticed the temperature reading.

“Hey, Kais,” the Hunter called out as he slipped deeper down below, “Do Awoken sweat?”

“Yeah,” Kaijae chuckled, “We are still a lot like Humans in most basic physiology. Why? How hot is it in there?”

“This is definitely a ventilation shaft for excess heat,” Ace replied. He felt phantom beads of sweat form on his forehead as the temperature continued to climb.

“Between the heat and the toxic gases, it is no wonder that the Fallen haven’t bothered the Hive here,” Mal observed, “The tunnel practically defends itself.”

“I doubt very much that this will be the case the entire way,” Ace muttered. Then he spoke up as he addressed the Titans, “Hey, Kais, come on down. I’ve made about a hundred meters and haven’t run into anything.”

The tunnel had been cramped and difficult to navigate so far, but Ace now just arrived at a point where the tunnel widened. It was all very much vertical, scrambling from one handhold or foothold to the next as he made his way down. The Exo looked down and saw what appeared to be a larger landing just below.

“Mal, any signs of Hive down there?” he asked quietly.

“Nothing at all on the sensors,” the ghost answered.

Ace let go of the wall and allowed himself to fall the handful of meters. He used his boosting power to avoid bouncing off the other walls about him and landed lightly on the rocky floor. Dust rose up from the impact of his landing. By the light cast from his ghost’s central orb, Ace could see that the tunnel was transitioning from a tight, vertical chimney into a sharply sloped shaft.

“Mal, cancel your light,” Ace commanded. The ghost complied and the Guardian could make out a dim glow emanating from below. He willed Mal into hiding and swiftly moved forward. His steps were silent as he readied his scout rifle, Vision of Confluence, and the glow from ahead grew brighter.

“Kais,” Ace whispered, “Turn of your lights when you reach the floor.”

“Floor? How far down?” Kaijae’s whisper carried back into Ace’s helmet.

“I see it,” Kaizyn interrupted. A few seconds later, “Oh, there’s a glow ahead. Are you there, Ace?”

“Yeah,” the Hunter answered, “I’m not far ahead.”

The tunnel had slowly begun widening when it transitioned from the vertical chute. By the time the two Titans joined with the Hunter, the passage was wide enough for two Guardians to pass together.

“You weren’t kidding about the heat,” Kaijae remarked as he crept forward.

“The floor appears worked here,” Ace observed, “This place was definitely designed as ventilation.”

“What’s ahead?”

“Let’s go find out.”

Without another word, the three turned and made their way downslope. The worked floor was smooth enough that the Guardians didn’t have to worry about tripping, so they were able to focus their attention on the far end of the tunnel. The light grew brighter and the shaft remained as silent as when they first entered.

A short minute’s worth of walking later and Ace was able to see an exit to the tunnel. It was a tiny ledge near the roof of a large cavern. All three Guardians crouched at the edge and looked down. It was at least a hundred meters to the floor below, if not twice that distance. A haze filled the air, smoke and fumes that emanated from a handful of massive rock pedestals. Hive glyphs, glowing an unsettling green, twinkled about the base of each pedestal. But the dominating feature of the room was the gigantic crystal floating at the center. The orange light filling the cavern emanated from the gemstone as it slowly, almost imperceptibly, rotated midair. The pedestals formed a circle around the crystal.

Ace was drawn to the spectacle of the glowing mineral for only a moment. He had then immediately begun scanning the area below for threats. He was able to spot Hive Acolytes pacing nearby each one of the pedestals. 

The Hunter turned to the two Titans, “I can create a safe space for the two of you to land that won’t raise an alarm. Wait here.”

Without waiting for a response, Ace focused on the pools of Void Light that he had gathered. He released one of the smaller pools into the air in front of him as the Nightstalker let his body fall forward. As his body passed through the intangible wall of power, he felt his body’s temperature drop suddenly as it became transparent. Thus invisible, Ace continued to plummet to the floor below, his descent interrupted a mere couple of meters before impact by a Light-powered boost back up into the air. And so, the invisible Hunter landed lightly on the cavern floor, next to a glyph covered pedestal. Directly behind an Acolyte.

Before the transparency effect on his body wore off, Ace swiftly unsheathed a knife and expertly plunged the blade into the base of the Hive’s skull. The alien died instantly and Ace caught its body before it could fall to the rocky ground, lowering it silently. The violence of his attack had expelled the Void energy that had made the Nightstalker transparent. He looked up at the Titans above and motioned for them to continue to wait. Kaijae raised a fist in acknowledgement.

Ace then leaned back against the pedestal. He had positioned himself so that he was not in view of the other Hive in the room, nor would he be visible to anything entering the cavern from the single opening on the opposite side. The Hunter relaxed as he focused on the welling pools of Light within himself. He could sense distinct, separate wellsprings of power; one of which was threatening to burst with an overwhelming amount of Void Light.

It would be a few seconds before he could perform another Shadestep to go invisible. That pool had been emptied when he stepped off the ledge.

As Ace waited, he considered the pedestal. He could sense arcane powers flowing through the Hive glyphs that had been etched into the stone. The marks were not clean; they appeared to have been violently hacked away with a heavy blade, rather than chiseled in with careful precision. The power seemed to flow from the pedestal base, up to the peak, and then it transferred over to the crystal. The cavern floor was warm to the touch due to whatever the Hive’s magic was doing to the Lunar core below. However, the primary source of the heat that filled the cavern emanated from the crystal.

“ _Ace!_ ” Mal’s voice resonated within the Hunter’s skull, “ _Motion to your left! You need to move!_ ”

Ace silently edged to the right, putting as much of the pedestal between himself and the Acolyte moving to the left, while also trying to remain hidden from the others. This was good, though, he thought. The Hive guard was moving away from its fellows, making it easier to take down without notice.

The nose of the Hive Boomer canon was visible to the Hunter. Ace took a deep breath and considered the pooling Void within. It was time. He released the Light and dove forward through it. The quiet sound of his body tumbling on the rock was loud enough to draw the attention of his target. Unfortunately for the Acolyte, it could not see the Hunter’s knife until it struck home.

The Titans above leapt from the ledge, plummeting toward their individual targets. Armored fists destroyed Hive chiton as the force of their falls transferred into the Guardians’ fists. And as his fire team dropped from the ceiling, Ace raced to the nearest guard with the bloody knife still in hand. All three of the remaining Hive died in the same moment.


	7. Chapter 7

“Alright, Zuko,” Kaijae whispered, “Where to next?”

The Awoken’s ghost appeared and considered the room for a few moments. Its chassis whirled around the central orb as it processed the information from its scanner. Finally, the tiny companion answered, “The majority of the energy from these geothermal collectors is being routed in this direction.” An indicator appeared in Ace’s helmet visor, on top of the cavern’s primary exit. “Given what we know from Toland’s notes, the World’s Grave requires a lot of power. This is our best bet.”

Ace moved to the tunnel entryway and peered into the gloom. The rocky path immediately split in two while the indicator in his visor hovered over the left path. The Hunter then focused his attention to his auditory senses. Mal, incorporeal, voiced inside the Guardian’s head, “ _Our sensors don’t find anything nearby_.”

“As reassuring as that is, it is not,” Ace replied. Mal didn’t respond, but the Hunter could  feel the ghost’s outrage at his comment.

Kaizyn stepped to the indicated tunnel and shouldered her rifle, peering through the optics for a couple moments. Finally, she whispered, “No thermal readings other than the power flow.”

“Good. I’m going to check the tunnel that runs the other way,” Kaijae started walking down the second path as he spoke, “and make sure that nothing sneaks up behind us.”

“Alright. I’ll scout ahead,” Ace answered. He could feel the Void energy swelling within himself. He would be able to Shadestep again soon, so he did not fear moving ahead by himself.

Kaizyn sighed heavily, “I’ll hang out here, I guess. All by myself.”

Ace chuckled to himself quietly as he moved swiftly into the gloom. The Exo knew that the Awoken Titan did not want to sit around like this, but she understood that both of her companions needed her there to be an anchor if they ran into any trouble. Most of the missions that the two Titans ran tended to be much more straightforward; attack the enemy and break them. Sneaking around wasn’t a common requirement of the missions they were usually assigned.

Still, Ace had to admit that Kaijae and Kaizyn both were doing an excellent job of staying quiet and following his lead. The Hunter hoped with all of his might that the rest of this mission would progress as smoothly as it had currently gone. A scrape of stone against another hard surface brought Ace’s attention into sharp focus. The sound had come from ahead.

Silently, Ace directed his thoughts to Mal, “Notify the others.” Again, Ace could  feel  his ghost’s understanding and compliance.

The Exo slowed his pace to a near halt as he moved to the left side of the tunnel. There was barely any light left from the glowing crystals, but the left side somehow felt darker than the right. Mal managed to make its voice faint inside of his head, “ _My sensors don’t detect anything_.”

The Hunter nodded as he inched forward. There had been several missions that they had taken part in where Mal’s scanners had been rendered useless by interference of one kind or another. The tunnel curved to the right as it continued to steadily climb. The curve was gradual, allowing the Guardian to see a fair distance ahead. But it also meant that any Hive in the tunnel would be able to easily spot him as well as there was no cover. The walls were fairly smooth and no debris present to hide behind. Ready to Shadestep into invisibility at the slightest sound, Ace pressed on.

Several minutes passed and there was no further sign of activity. Mal’s voice whispered inside Ace’s head, “ _They say that all is clear and are moving to join us_.”

Ace grunted softly in acknowledgement. A moment later, he noticed a soft hum. The Hunter wasn’t certain if he was hearing it or feeling it, the sensation felt like it was coming at him from every angle. “Mal, are you detecting anything?” Ace whispered harshly into his helmet.

Mal’s voice seemed muffled as the ghost answered directly into the Guardian’s mind, “ _Interference. Multiple layers of sonics. But there’s something else mixed in with it._ ”

Ace paused his advance as he waited to give his ghost time to do a more thorough analysis. A minute later, Mal continued, “ _My connection to the Light is being stifled as well as my connection to the Vanguard network._ ”

“What does that mean?”

“Our connection to the ship is severed. No communication with the City and no transmat. Only our local comms are available,” the ghost answered. This time, the voice came from the helmet speaker and was much more clear.

Ace considered the information for a moment before asking, “Is this a deliberate, targeted attack? Or did we wander into some kind of defensive barrier?”

“It’s hard to say. But given how we have not been attacked, I would wager that this is a static phenomenon. However, my sensors are not functioning properly due to the interference with my connection to the Light.”

“Great,” Ace sighed again. A moment later, he instructed Mal, “Notify Kaizyn and KaiJae. If we can’t transmat, they need to know that they are stuck with the equipment they have right now.”

“Understood.”

Shaking his head, Ace drew his focus inward and considered the pools of Void Light energy he could feel within himself. Whatever interference Mal was suffering from, it did not appear to affect the Exo’s connection to the Light. The power was still there, threatening to spill forth. Whatever was interfering with Mal didn’t appear to affect his connection to the Light. Comforted by this knowledge, the Exo Hunter began stalking forward once again.

It was not long until the murk gave way to an orange glow as the tunnel’s curving way finally fell upon another chamber. As with the previous one, glowing crystals filled the area with an orange radiance. This time, however, there were countless, smaller crystals embedded in the rock face all about the room. Ace ignored the spectacle of the lights as he cautiously scanned the area for threats. This chamber was significantly larger, with only a handful of pillar-like formations dotting the room.

Mal materialized behind Ace’s head as the Guardian turned to consider the multitude of crystals. A moment later, the ghost observed, “There is a pattern here. These crystals are channeling the energy being gathered in the chamber below us.”

Ace noticed that the crystals appeared to form a countless number of interconnected circles. “For what purpose?” he asked.

“I do not know,” Mal admitted after a long minute of consideration, “But there is a lot of power here. I sense a kind of feedback loop going on here. This chamber may be a battery of sorts, waiting to power something immense.”

“Is it a weapon?” Kaijae’s voice sounded softly from Ace’s helmet comm.

“It is hard to decipher. There are crystalline formations within the very rock of this chamber that are interacting with the surface,” Mal explained, “It is very difficult to determine where the power is being sent.”

Kaizyn appeared at the threshold as her voice sounded in the comm link, “Well, this mystery will need to go unsolved as we already have a mission. The World’s Grave.”

Ace nodded in silent agreement and turned toward the far exit. In that moment, the Hunter heard a faint sound of footsteps from ahead. Instinctively, the Nightstalker released his hold on one of the pools of Void Light and launched his body forward. The power of Void energy infused Ace’s entire being and he felt himself fade from sight. Kaijae and Kaizyn both witnessed Ace’s Shadestep and knew what it meant. The two Titans managed a stealthy dash to two separate pillars on either side of the chamber. Mal also understood the significance of Ace’s action and had immediately disappeared into incorporeality.

Ace dashed for the pillar closest to the far end of the room while a handful of Hive Acolytes stepped into the chamber, Shredders in hands. The Hunter was still out in the open, but invisible as he silently spun around the opposite side of a stone formation. He felt the Void power dissipate a moment later.

The acolytes chattered quietly to each other as they walked into the room. For a moment, Ace worried that the interference that they had wandered into had been a defense installation, designed to sound an alarm against intruders. But as he peered around the edge of his hiding place, Ace noticed that the Acolytes did not have their weapons at the ready. They were relaxed, at ease. There had been no alarm.

Yet.

Ace silently sent instructions via the ghosts to Kaizyn and Kaijae. They needed to overwhelm and kill the guards before they could sound any alarm. Ace did not believe that the guards would turn around and head back the way that they came. He suspected that these were meant to relieve the guards that they had killed upon their arrival further below. If these Hive made it to that chamber, there would be trouble for them all. Ace eased his knife out of its sheath at his hip.

The five Acolytes were in a fairly tight group as they walked past the Hunter’s position. An attack would have to be a brutal as it was swift to overwhelm them.

“ _Would a grenade give us away?_ ” Ace thought to his ghost.

“ _It might_ ,” Mal’s voice sounded like it was fighting thru layers of insulation, “ _The explosion could disrupt the energy flow and alert the Hive_.”

Silent. Swift. And brutal.

The Hive chatter, mostly clicks with a few faint hisses, continued as the group passed the midway mark. Ace stepped outside from his hiding place, behind the oblivious Acolytes. They were so comfortable in this space that none bothered to check their back. The Nightstalker flexed his right hand as he tested the grip on his knife. His left hand gripped his trusted scout rifle out to the side, ready to be brought to bear, yet out of the way for when Ace was ready to strike.

Moving in step with the quintet of Hive soldiers, Ace patiently waited for the perfect opportunity. He silently prayed that none of them turned around before they got closer to the pair of of hidden Titans.

Luck was with the Guardians. As soon as the first Hive reached the pillar closest to Kaizyn, Ace lunged forward and drove his knife into the Acolyte furthest back. The sound of the alien’s lifeless body crumpling to the floor was enough to alert its compatriots. The Exo didn’t hesitate. As they turned about, Ace tackled a second one and drove the bloodied knife into its abdomen. The Acolyte screamed in pain as it attempted to bring its weapon to bear. Ace refused to relent and continued his assault.

The three other Hive raised their weapons, but were stopped short as three hundred pounds of Awoken Titan and heavy armor barreled into them. Arc energy burst from Kaijae’s body and engulfed the Acolytes upon contact. The first two died instantly. The third shook off the effects of the attack and managed to fire a shot. The Shredder’s void blast struck Kaijae squarely in the chest, tearing away a portion of the Guardian’s energy shield. Kaizyn’s fist connected squarely with the side of the Acolyte’s skull with a satisfying crunch. A breath later, Ace was able to finish dispatching his opponent.

Wiping his blade clean as he stood up, Ace commented, “That wasn’t so bad. Barely any noise.”

A moment later, a handful of the crystal ring patterns suddenly flared brightly. His Eyasluna hand cannon swiftly drawn at the ready, Kaijae replied, “Something tells me we weren’t quiet enough.”


	8. Chapter 8

As one, the trio of Guardians backed away from the spectacle of before them; five rings of fiery light flared brightly on the rocky floor. The circular patterns of crystals became apparent as power filled the gems to burst. The hum that Ace had previously detected was building to a crescendo and the Exo knew without a doubt that he was both hearing and feeling the sensation.

And then he heard the scrape of stone against a hard surface. It was the same sound as earlier. “They were expecting us,” Ace muttered.

“What? Are you saying this is a trap?” there was a slight edge of panic in Kaijae’s voice. The Awoken knew that their ghosts’ connection to the Light was being interfered with. That meant there was real danger here as they didn’t know if their ghosts would be able to revive them.

With a final, blinding burst of light, the crescendo peaked. Five flashes of light and five thunderous roars filled the room. In the afterimage, Ace could see a handful of large, hulking shapes step over the threshold of their respective crystal circles. More than twice the height of the Acolytes that the Guardians had just dispatched, these Hive towered over the trio.

Kaizyn groaned, “Hive Knights. Just what we need.”

In response, the nearest Knight lunged forward. With a frightening speed that seemed incongruent with its hulking mass, the Hive warrior closed the distance between itself and Ace, the nearest Guardian. The towering monster heaved a gigantic cleaver over its head, clutched tightly in both hands, ready to bring it crashing down on top of the Hunter’s retreating frame. Ace’s optics reflexively widened in fear as he saw the massive sword in the Knight’s hands.

Only an instinctive rear somersault saved the Exo from being crushed by the attack. He tried to bring his weapon to bear, but a second knight suddenly charged into the empty space his frantic scramble had created. Ace braced for the inevitable impact as he knew that there was no possible way to avoid the incoming attack; his momentum was spent and he was far too off balance to attempt another dive. Doing so would simply send him to the floor and place the Hunter in an even more exposed position; one from which he would not be able to recover. Better to accept this attack and hope that his armor’s barrier would hold against the blow.

But the Knight’s attack never came. The sword was halted mid-swing as a blinding burst of Void energy erupted in front of the Hive warrior. In fact, it was more of an explosion as it erupted from the charging form of Kaizyn. The Titan’s body slammed into her opponent’s body and Void Light energies caused the Hive’s body to twitch and spasm in the middle of its attack. In fact, all of the Hive were so close together that the negative energy released by the assault struck each one, halting them all momentarily.

Neither Kaijae nor Ace wasted the opportunity that Kaizyn had just created for them. Ace continued his retreat, dancing around a stone pillar as he shouldered his rifle. Kaijae, understanding that the time for stealth was now past, released more of his pent Arc energies in the form of an electric grenade. The pulse grenade struck the ground behind the same knight that Kaizyn had attacked and, in the very next instant, exploded. Again, because all five of the large Hive warriors were so close together, they all were struck by the released Light energy.

Ace sighted in on the stunned Knight in front of Kaizyn and squeezed the trigger. In rapid succession, the Nightstalker emptied his magazine. Nineteen rounds fired and then he ejected the spent cartridge from the receiver to be replaced with a new one in a swift, practiced motion. Mal snatched the empty out of the air with an invisible beam of energy, transmatting it away to be reloaded. Ace was so used to this process that he didn’t even notice the added weight to his belt as the reloaded magazine materialized at his side a moment later. Instead, the Guardian focused his attention on the Knight he had in his sights, watching it fall to the floor. It succumbed to the combined attacks of all three Guardians.

Kaijae’s Eyasluna thundered ten times. Another Knight fell to its knees, clutching at a particularly devastating wound in the creature’s chest. An eleventh retort from the hand cannon ended the creature. Meanwhile, Kaizyn used the opportunity to retreat while the remaining three Hive were distracted by the tumult. She knew better than to remain in the midst of the three towering foes, even if they had just lost two of their number. It did not take long for the Hive to shake off the effects of her attack and begin advancing once once more. Kaizyn’s rifle discharged the contents of its magazine as she steadily moved to join her fellows. When the last round was spent, she turned and sprinted the last few meters.

Kaijae stepped around his mate’s retreating body, placing himself between her and the Hive. The Titan lowered his hand cannon as he transferred the weapon to his left hand. With the now empty right hand, the Awoken warrior curled his fingers and Ace could see a spark of Arc energy erupt within his grasp. The Hunter was about to shout a warning against using the explosive, but quickly realized that the opportunity for stealth was long past. Kaijae’s grenade struck the nearest charging Knight squarely in the chest and erupted into a large sphere of electricity. The large Hive warrior staggered under the onslaught of Arc energies. Kaizyn turned and raised her freshly reloaded rifle, but there was no need. The Knight tumbled forward and fell in a heap. 

Ace swiftly turned his attention back to the fourth of the Knights and took aim when he realized that something was amiss. The Exo Hunter could hear the panic in his own voice as he shouted, “Mal! Where is the other-?”

His query ended abruptly as Kaijae’s pained cry cut thru the com-link. Ace spun about in time to see his friend’s broken body crash against a stone pillar. A massive rent had been torn through the front of the Titan’s breastplate, from hip to shoulder. The Awoken’s weapon clattered to the stone floor as his body went limp and collapsed beside it. Several meters away, the fifth Knight pulled its heavy sword back into ready position. It had rushed off to the side as soon as the Hive teleported in, allowing its fellows to distract the Guardians while it moved into a flanking position. While Kaijae focused on the enemies chasing Kaizyn, he had been blindsided by a sudden and brutal attack from his right side.

“No! Jae!” Kaizyn’s scream drowned out the triumphant bellow from the Knight.

For a brief moment, Ace found her reaction a touch dramatic. After all, they died fairly often. It was simply a matter of their ghost reviving-

Then the Hunter remembered. There are some places where the Light cannot reach. Places where a ghost cannot gather enough power to effect a fallen Guardian’s resurrection. As such, they all learned a healthy fear and respect for such places. Zuko had instinctively materialized over its partner, attempting to revive the dead Titan, but nothing happened. The ghost’s frame spun with agitation as it attempted again.

As the Hive took a step toward the dead Titan, Kaizyn sprinted forward. Ace was further away from their companion, but he moved just as quickly. They both knew that they needed to protect poor Zuko. 

As soon as she reached Kaijae’s body, Kaizyn released her hold on the massive pool of energy that she had been storing. A large dome of Void Light burst forth, surrounding both Titans in an instant. Ace could see the fifth Knight in the corner of his eye, charging toward Kaizyn’s Ward of Dawn, massive sword held high and ready to cleave. The Hunter quickly calculated that they would both reach the barrier at the same time. Ace swiftly raised his Hung Jury over his head and to his back, swapping the scout rifle out for the Conspiracy Theory shotgun that had been waiting there. There was no time for finesse.

A few steps before the two combatants reached the Void energy dome, the Exo Hunter threw himself into a forward dive, turning as he rolled to his feet in a smooth motion. The shotgun was in ready position and he was now facing the Hive. And it was a good thing that he had executed the somersault, as the Knight had turned to attack Ace as soon as he was within striking range. The tumble had managed to cause the Guardian to narrowly avoid a devastating blow. Unfortunately for the Hive warrior, there was no way for it to avoid the blast from Ace’s weapon. The first struck it in the shoulder, nearly causing the alien to drop its weapon. Ace swiftly racked a new shell and fired again, this time, striking the Knight squarely in the chest. A moment later, a third shell fired, and the sword fell to the stone floor with a clatter.

Ace spun around to locate the final Knight, expecting an imminent attack, but there was none. The Hive warrior who had managed to kill Kaijae stood stationary, still several meters away from Kaizyn’s Ward, opposite from the Hunter. The Exo took several steps to one side so that the Ward of Dawn no longer lay directly in the path of his line of sight. The Hive warrior remained standing, but watched the moving Guardian intently. Realizing that the range was poor for the Conspiracy Theory, Ace quickly swapped back to the Hung Jury and raised the scout rifle to his cheek.

At this, the Knight managed a grotesque caricature of a grin and took a step back. A portal of inky light, orange and black, appeared behind it. As the Hive stepped into the gateway, it called out in its native tongue. Ace could clearly hear the challenge that had been issued. Mal confirmed it as the ghost translated, “It said ‘Crag’noth awaits. Come find me.’”

Ace said nothing as he moved to join his companions inside the Ward of Dawn. Twilin hovered over Kaizyn’s shoulder and Ace could ‘sense’ the link that the ghost was creating between its Gaurdian and Zuko. Through this link, Zuko could use Kaizyn to gather more of the Light. A few moments later, Zuko suddenly emitted a bright beam of light, bathing Kaijae’s entire body. In a flash of blinding light, the Titan’s body dematerialized and rematerialized, standing where his dead body had been laying on the floor.

Kaijae turned, looking from Kaizyn to Ace, and then to Zuko. “Ouch,” he finally announced.

Ace managed a chuckle. Having died and being revived by Mal many times, he knew the joke for what it was. Death was often extremely painful, but it was only a memory after a successful resurrection. But that memory was often traumatic and many Guardians found comfort in morbid humor.

“I can bet,” Ace replied. He gestured to the damage done to Kaijae’s armor, “That was a hell of a blow you took. I’m surprised you managed to stay in a single piece after that attack.”

“So am I,” Kaijae laughed, “That was a sneaky bastard. Thanks for killing him for me.”

Ace shook his head, “We didn’t. The Knight managed to port out of here after I dropped his last friend over there.”

Kaizyn stood up suddenly at the news, “He did? That’s not like the Hive.”

“No, it is not,” Ace agreed and then shared the challenge that Crag’noth had issued. The three Guardians went quiet for a few moments as each one considered the implications. Zuko busied itself with repairing Kaijae’s armor while the other two ghosts waited patiently by their respective Guardians’ sides.

Finally, Kaizyn broke the silence. “They know we are here. We can continue on to the World’s Grave and expect much more resistence,” she paused, “Or we can leave before we get in too deep. I don’t know if poor Deo died in these tunnels or somewhere else, but we do know that many other Guardians have met their final death here.”


	9. Chapter 9

Ace considered Kaizyn’s question. It went against everything within him to retreat, but he was seriously considering it. They were no strangers to dangerous missions, but Guardians could usually rely on their ghosts to revive them if they got in trouble too deep. It made many Guardians very foolhardy and reckless. But Ace had just lost a friend to final death and seeing Zuko’s frantic attempts to resurrect Kaijae had shaken him. What if he was leading two more friends to their final deaths?

Thousands of Guardians had been lost forever on Luna during the Great Disaster. Yes, Crota had been slain since then, but there were plenty of other powerful Hive stalking the dark places of the Moon. Dôl Arnách was a prime example. Crag’noth had been able to dispatch Kaijae in a single, savage attack. And the Hive of this place were aware of their presence. What other monstrosities might they uncover if they continued?

“We need to press on,” Kaijae announced.

Ace looked up sharply at the declaration. “Are you sure? You were dead for a while. Kaizyn had to help your ghost revive you.”

“And that’s why we need to keep going.” Kaijae paused as he looked from Kaizyn to Ace and then continued, “I wouldn’t trust any other fireteam to have my back in this place. And I don’t want some other, less prepared, Guardian to take up this inquiry.”

Kaizyn nodded agreement, “We no longer have surprise on our side, but I don’t think that was ever a possibility. Now we know what to expect and will not be taking any unnecessary risks.”

“This whole venture is an unnecessary risk,” Ace countered, “Our ghosts are cut off from both the Light and our ships. We cannot even transmat out of here if we continue and getting rezzed...” Ace let the implication hang there.

“Yes, but someone has to do this,” Kaizyn answered, “If we don’t, who knows who else will fall to that Wizard.”

It was the exact argument Ace needed to hear. He didn’t like the idea of leading his friends on a mission of revenge that could get them killed. Something cold and unfeeling in the back of his mind whispered to him about the foolishness of revenge and the emotions that drove people to seek it. That it was selfish to bring others along on a quest to satisfy a petty need for mere vengeance. But Kaizyn’s argument about ensuring the safety of their fellow Guardians, that continued action was about preventing additional losses, felt more rational. The whisper accepted the logic and went silent.

Ace raised his hand and summoned Mal into corporeality. “Which direction should we head?” he asked the ghost.

The cuboid frame spun erratically as Mal considered. Finally, a white diamond indicator appeared in the visor of Ace’s helmet. “This is where the power flow that we have been following goes,” the ghost explained. Then three more indicators appeared, two to the left and one to the right. “I detect three side channels just a little further down the tunnel. I can not determine anything other than that they are there.”

Kaijae spoke up, “We will continue to follow the flow of energy. If it’s not the World’s Grave, it would still be strategic intel to know where all of this generated power is going to.”

The three other indicators suddenly went dim, but remained. Only one indicator remained bright. As one, all three Guardians turned and began walking toward the chamber’s exit. Ace eyed the remains of one of the dead Knights. There were no special, identifying marks on the large creature. He wondered how the Hive were able to tell each other apart from one another. This particular one didn’t seem significantly smaller, nor did its chitinous exterior appear to differ from that of any of the other dead Knights nearby. All three of the dead Hive had the same rust colored, brownish orange, hue to their exterior. Did the Knight that fled the battle have a more reddish tint? Ace filed the musings away as a mental exercise for another time. Perhaps for when he grew tired of musing about the inexplicable idiosyncrasies that constituted the existence of an Exomind.

Just as they were about to cross the threshold of the chamber and enter the tunnel, Kaizyn suddenly stopped. The other two paused as well and waited for her to speak. A moment later, “Do you guys hear that?” she asked.

Kaijae cocked his head to one side as he concentrated on his auditory senses. Ace closed his eyes and slowly turned his head. All he could hear was the quiet breathing of his two Titan companions. “I can’t hear anything,” the Hunter apologized.

“Yeah, me either,” the Titan agreed.

“That’s just it,” Kaizyn explained, “There is no longer that persistent hum that I’ve been hearing ever since we found that crystal chamber.”

Twilin appeared at the Titan’s shoulder and commented, “I believe that the harmonics you are referring to ended as soon as those Knights appeared. It is possible that the song was a summoning mechanism and our presence was the trigger.”

“Great,” Kaijae muttered softly, “now we have to worry about music.”

“I told you about Dôl Arnách’s song and what it did to Deo and I,” Ace snapped.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.”

“Let’s keep moving,” Kaizyn interjected before she turned back the began walking away.

Ace and Kaijae both hurried to join her, side by side. The three Guardians walked thus for several minutes before the nearest grayed out waypoint indicator drew near. In an unspoken accord, all three slowed down as they scanned the tunnel wall for whatever opening the side channel would appear as. The main tunnel was the same worked stone that they had first began following. The stone continued to appear smooth and melted. 

The side channel appeared to be a small cave in that had occurred some time after the tunnel had been carved. It was barely large enough for a Thrall or a Guardian. Ace stooped down to peer inside. It was a natural formation, a miniature fissure that resulted in a chimney that snaked down sharply. Ace could not make out anything beyond that first turn.

“Hold on,” the curious Hunter announced before suddenly slipping through the crack in the wall.

“Wait! I thought we were- never mind,” Kaizyn sighed heavily in defeat. After partnering up so many times with Ace over the last few decades, both Titans were well acquainted with the Hunter’s tendency to get distracted by such curiosities.

Kaijae simply moved forward to stand guard a few meters down the tunnel. Zuko appeared a moment later and began scanning the area, paying particular attention to the imperceptible point on the floor where the channeled power was flowing. Kaizyn turned and peered into the deep gloom back in the direction that they had come from. The absolute silence, now that the low hum had gone away, was even more unsettling. She could practically feel the overwhelming malice of the Hive swarms that filled the tunnels all around them. That the Awoken could not see or hear them made the sensation all the worse. There was no way of knowing from which direction the threat would come.

At least with her mate standing guard at her back, Kaizyn knew that she need not fear anything from that direction. She allowed a slight smile at that thought.

Ace’s voice came quietly over the comm link, “Come down.”

The two Titans turned and quickly returned to the spot where Ace had descended into the fissure. The larger Kaijae motioned for the more diminutive Kaizyn to go first. “Such a gentleman,” she chuckled.

“Just hurry up and let’s go see what Ace wants,” Kaijae laughed back.

Complete darkness greeted her as Kaizyn slipped into the channel. Twilin suddenly appeared and provided some illumination for the Titan. Kaizyn was a little surprised to see that there was a bit more room than she expected once she passed thru the opening. It would be a tight squeeze for Kaijae at first, but once he was in he could climb down without being cramped too much. As she looked down, Ace’s face appeared a few meters below, his ghost also acting as a torch in the darkness.

“There’s a chamber here,” the Exo announced.

Kaizyn let go of the channel wall and let herself fall a few meters before willing the Light to slow her descent. She stepped forward into the small chamber that Ace mentioned to make room for Kaijae to do the same.

Ace leaned against the far wall of the tiny cave. The channel managed to continue on behind the Hunter, but it was far too small beyond that point. Other than the cave itself, there was nothing of interest in the tiny space. If she had been claustrophobic, the chamber would have given her a fit of anxiety.

Kaijae stepped into the cave. It felt even smaller than before.

“I thought you two might like to take a moment or two to rest,” Ace announced as he sat down on a large rock. With all three ghosts providing illumination in the confined space, it was very well lit and Ace set his scout rifle, a Hung Jury model, across his lap and began inspecting it.

Kaijae grunted with approval and sidled around Kaizyn to sit on the cave floor. He unslung the shotgun from his back, set it on the floor at his side, and then the Titan turned his attention to his hand cannon. Kaizyn was about to protest when she realized that they had been moving for several hours without a break. She gracefully lowered her tired body to the floor and leaned her back against the cave wall.

Several minutes of relative quiet passed. The only sound was that of the two Guardians inspecting their weapons. But as Ace was about to set the rifle aside, Kaizyn spoke up, “You know, I never pictured you as the type to get involved with any of the factions, much less Dead Orbit.”

Ace look up and replied, “Arach Jalaal does a pretty good job of maintaining that fleet of theirs. Even if it’s primary function is to take us away from Earth when the time comes. But, no, you are right. I didn’t sign up to join Dead Orbit.”

Kaizyn gestured toward the Hung Jury scout rifle, “So how did you get that?”

Ace laughed, “I had some Glimmer burning a hole in my pockets after I cleared out a Fallen den. Two barons had just finished a large mining expedition when I came across their camp. I was taking half of that haul to visit Banshee when I ran into Percival. I’m pretty sure he was trying to finagle some modifications to his Sparrow out of Holliday because he offered to sell it to me.”

“Nice deal,” Kaijae replied, “Omolon guns are really nice, but I have to admit that the Dead Orbit engineer that they have tinkering with their gear does top notch work.”

“Well, don’t tell anyone that Percy is the one who sold it to me,” Ace warned, “Jalaal doesn’t like seeing their weapons in the hands of anyone outside of Dead Orbit. He can’t do anything to me, but I’m sure he’d be upset with Percy.”

“I promise,” Kaizyn responded as Kaijae nodded.

“What about you, Jae?” Ace pointed at the shotgun laying on the groud next to the Titan, “Is that what I think it is?”

Kaijae lifted the shotgun and presented it to Ace. “It’s a replica. Saladin says that the original Felwinter’s Lie was lost a couple centuries ago, but Felwinter was kind enough to allow them to scan his shotgun for replication before he died.”

Ace turned the shotgun in his hands as he felt the weight and heft of the weapon. It was incredibly well balanced, much more so than his front-heavy Conspiracy Theory. The Iron Lord’s sigil etched into the side of the receiver and atop the barrel was a work of art.

Kaijae continued, “Saladin was so impressed with one of my plays during his competition that he gave me this afterward. I managed a Fist of Havoc slam right in the middle of an entire team that was trying to hold a single point during the match,” the Titan started laughing, “He said watching all six of them trying to get out of my way and knocking each other over in their panic, just to get blasted anyway, that it had him in tears with laughter.”

Ace handed the weapon back to Kaijae. During the conversation, Kaizyn had unslung her Shadow Price auto rifle and swapped in a fresh magazine. She considered the rifle for a few moments before commenting, “I honestly cannot remember  when I received this, it’s been with me for so long, but I remember Zavala handing it to me when I came back from a Strike mission on Mars. It was the first time that I had tangled with any Cabal. Jae’s Fist of Havoc pulled my butt out of the fire two separate times.”

Ace considered the weapon in the female Titan’s hands. It was so worn and weathered that it was difficult to make out the Vanguard insignia on the side of the receiver. “You ever consider taking that to Banshee for a cleanup? Maybe freshen her up a bit?” he asked.

Kaizyn shook her head emphatically, “No. I only take her in for repairs. This gun has earned every scuff and scratch on her.”

Kaijae chuckled, “Besides, if she tried to keep that thing in good shape, Banshee would have all of her Glimmer in no time.”

“Oh hush,” Kaizyn didn’t bother to look up from the rifle in her lap, “It’s not like we all haven’t spent our fair share of Glimmer with Banshee.”

Ace nodded at the truth of Kaizyn’s statement. His favorite pulse rifle, a Häkke model Herja-D, came from the Exo Gunsmith. The four round burst fire rifle wasn’t very popular with other Guardians, but Ace found it to be a real pleasure to fire. Banshee had tuned it so that the recoil was a perfect, straight up and down whenever Ace used it. The Hunter had zero regrets whatsoever.

“You two take a good rest and I’ll keep watch,” Ace announced as he set his scout rifle across his lap.

Neither of the Titans argued. As soon as they had stopped moving and sat down, the fatigue suddenly hit them. As immortal as Guardians might seem to be, they still had need of things like rest and sustenance. Guardians could starve to death. Yes, they could be revived by their ghost, but they would still be starving. The two Awoken needed some rest after several hours of hiking, climbing, and then combat. Kaijae reclined a bit as he let his helmet and back rest against the cave wall. Kaizyn watched him for several moments before she turned her head to Ace, “Good call. Thank you.”

Ace nodded as Kaizyn settled into a similar resting position, quickly drifting away into a semi-slumber. Decades on top of decades of being a Guardian had trained all of them to be able to achieve slumber almost instantly. Rest was often hard to come by and opportunities were not to be squandered. But Ace knew that both of his Awoken companions would be able to spring into action, fully awake and ready, at the slightest alarm. This, too, was a skill born of painful experience over a long time.

“ _Mal_ ,”  Ace silently called out to his ghost, “ _Make sure that we are down for only an hour. I do not want the Hive to have enough time to form a search effort and find us._ ”

“ _Understood_ ,”  Mal answered.

As an Exo, Ace did not require rest in the same way that Humans and Awoken did, but his mind still craved it. To satisfy this craving, Ace had managed to learn a method of entering a trance state wherein his Human mind could achieve the rest it required while something else remained alert. He could best describe it as his consciousness would split and one part would drift away while the other would remain alert and attentive.

The transition was not as swift as falling asleep was for the Titans, but soon enough the Hunter found his primary awareness drift away. Ace briefly entertained a hope that this rest phase would not involve any dreams. They were loath to discuss the matter, but dreams were not an enjoyable experience for Exominds. Just about every Exomind dream involved an indescribable struggle against an army comprised of all the people that they knew and loved. Ace had been avoiding sleep in the weeks following the death of Deoxys. Whenever a someone he knew faced their final Death, the Exo struggled with dealing with those dreams.

Fortunately, dreams were exceedingly rare when he split his consciousness. Maybe, when this was all over, he would allow himself a true sleep once more.


	10. Chapter 10

“Ace.”

The Hunter immediately stood up. He experienced a brief sensation of deja vu as he looked to Mal. Ace had been aware of Mal moving to hover in front of the Guardian’s helmet, but that awareness felt like a fading memory as the part of his mind that had been at rest reconnected with the part that had remained alert. Ace  _ knew _ that a full hour had passed and that Mal was following his instructions. A piece of him had experienced the slow passing of time while the greater part of him enjoyed the respite of oblivion.

Ace gently reached over and placed a hand on Kaijae’s shoulder. It was unnecessary as both Titans had roused at the quiet sound of Mal’s voice. Kaijae and Kaizyn remained seated, though. There was not room enough for all three to stand.

“I’ll go up first and make sure there’s no nasty surprises waiting for us,” Ace explained before stepping past Kaijae. As he set a foot atop the lowest rocky outcrop to begin his ascent, Ace looked over his shoulder to Mal and asked, “Do your sensors detect anything up there?”

“Nothing,” Mal answered and then continued with a reassuring tone, “Twilin, Zuko, and I spent the time analyzing the interference. We are still unable to reach our ships or anything on the surface, but we have been able to cut through the interference enough for localized purposes.”

With that, Ace began climbing. He managed to scale the fissure as silently as when he descended. A slight smile found purchase on the Hunter’s face as he heard the slight sound of Titan armor scraping against a bit of rock below. Both of the Kai’s were extremely competent in just about any situation Ace could think of, but they were still Titans. Still, the sound was very slight and extremely brief. The Hunter was not overly worried as he reached the final curve that would deliver him to the main tunnel.

Cautiously checking every angle possible, Ace looked for any signs of danger before committing to the final push into the tunnel. He readied his shotgun before stepping through the opening and into the channel, but no ambushing Thrall or rushing Knights greeting him. It was just as empty as when they left.

Ace wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Yes, he had allowed them only a brief amount of time to rest, but a full hour was still a significant chunk of time. And there weren’t exactly many options for the fireteam to head from where they fought off that ambush. It should not have been difficult for the Hive to have at least a handful of warriors waiting for them. The Hunter quickly put those thoughts behind him as he swapped back to his scout rifle and waited for his companions to join him.

Several uneventful minutes later, all three Guardians found themselves continuing down the tunnel, following the energy flow once more. They passed one of the side channels that their ghosts had detected without incident. It was another cave-in that they decided to ignore after Ace checked to ensure that there was no risk of ambush.

“Hey, Ace. How much time have you spent on Luna?” Kaijae asked. While the three of them had teamed up for combat missions more times than they could count, most of those missions were on Earth or Mars.

Ace considered for a moment before answering, “Not much at all. And most of it has spent just on the surface.”

Mal’s animosity towards Fallen had seen them accept a handful of Vanguard assignments to Luna for high value target eliminations and a few resource recovery missions. It was his ghost’s almost pathological hatred for the pirates that had earned it the name “Malicious” from Ace. In fact, the first couple of decades after his rebirth had been spent handling assignments that dealt only with the Fallen. Their very first foray to Luna had been to recover a large cache of NLS components that had been stolen by the pirates.

“Really,” Ace continued, “I have only dealt with Hive on Luna when they happened to interfere with a different mission for the Vanguard.”

“Then I am doubly happy that you didn’t try to do this on your own,” Kaizyn replied.

“Yeah,” Kaijae agreed, “A solo op into Hive territory without knowing what you’re going to find down here would be suici-“

Kaijae tried to stop himself, but it was too late. All three suddenly fell silent as they fell into their own thoughts. Deoxys had made the decision to seek out the World’s Grave on his own. Did he have the experience necessary to make such a attempt? And if he was properly prepared, what kind of trouble did he find in these tunnels that he was unable to handle it? Deoxys clearly believed that Dôl Arnách posed enough of a threat that the Wizard needed to be eliminated, so was he unprepared or did he miscalculate? And what did that mean for this fireteam?

“I’m sorry,” Kaijae finally said after a few moments, “I didn’t mean to say-“

“It’s okay,” Kaizyn interrupted. Ace nodded agreement. She continued, “We only know now that this is dangerous because of Deo. If not for him and his sacrifice, then who knows how many Guardians would come into this place all alone, not knowing the dangers here?”

Kaijae’s shoulders seemed to slump a little less after hearing that, but he remained quiet. It was several more minutes of silent walking before Mal broke it with a sudden announcement. “My sensors detect activity ahead.”

All three Guardians immediately halted as one brought their weapons up. Ace looked to the side at his companions and said, “I’ll check it out. You two follow behind.”

With a nod from both Titans, he shifted over to the side of the tunnel and moved quickly ahead. The tunnel was mostly clear of debris, only a scattering of small rocks on the floor at intermittent places, so there was no place to hide. Still, moving close to the wall would mask his silhouette from an enemies that stood guard in the tunnel’s gloom. Despite his swift pace, Ace managed to stay quiet, paying just as close attention to the patches of gravel as the empty space ahead.

It was then that Ace noticed that the motion sensor display in his helmet’s visor display was functional again. He had been ignoring that space in his field of view ever since it had started begun glitching on him in the first generator room. It must have been one of the issues that the ghosts had been able to resolve when they figured out how to reduce the interference affecting their group.

Confidence bolstered by improved understanding of where the threat lay ahead, Ace stepped ever more swiftly. The tunnel’s curvature was so slight that it could be considered straight, yet the faint bit of light that permeated the space continued to fail to pierce the unworldly gloom. The Hunter spared a glance at the rock wall to see tiny crystal fragments embedded in the surface. They cast the same kind of glow as the much larger ones he had seen earlier, just much more muted.

Moments later, Ace caught sight of the closest threat, a lone Thrall was meandering aimlessly a couple dozen meters away. It seemed unaware of its surroundings as it barely managed to stay upright as it stumbled into the stone wall. The Hive was walking toward Ace, so the Guardian halted quickly and crouched low in an effort to minimize his presence. As he started to crouch-wall away from the oncoming Thrall, Ace realized that he needn’t have worried. The thing was completely oblivious.

The Hunter eyed the Hive warily as it stumbled into the wall once again before suddenly turning about and then moving away. Ace drew his knife and slowly crossed to the same side of the tunnel. As unaware as the Thrall appeared, Ace did not trust it to remain so as he closed the distance. He remained as silent as possible as he crept forward.

In the corner of his visor, at the corner of his vision, Ace noted the indicators in the display that represented the location of his friends. The Kai’s were drawing close as he had halted his own progress. The Thrall continued to remain heedless to its surroundings, so Ace leapt forward and dashed the final handful of meters. The Hunter’s hand drove the knife forward with practiced precision, but was suddenly halted. The blade was turned aside at the last possible moment by an invisible barrier. Ace looked down at the sharp blade in his hand with bewildered incredulity. 

The Hive drone immediately halted, practically frozen in place, before throwing its head back. Ace’s optics widened in horror as the Thrall began keening loudly. Impossibly loud.

The Exo spun about, fearing an imminent attack, but not sure where to expect it from. The Kai’s both charged forward to join Ace, abandoning the now useless attempt at stealth. When he saw his fellows draw near, Ace spun back to the keening Thrall in time to see it collapse.

All three ghosts suddenly cried out a warning. “Look out!” Mal’s shout rang loudly inside Ace’s helmet.

A moment later, the very walls around the three Guardians seemed to come life as multiple cave-ins erupted all about them. Ace could see over a dozen openings appear in the tunnel ahead. Instinctively, he backed away from the potential threat, but stepped into Kaijae. Ace spared a glance over his shoulder to determine why the Titan was so close to him when the Hunter noticed that Kaijae was focused on the tunnel behind them. Ace looked past his companions and noticed that there were just as many openings appearing in that direction as well.

Kaizyn had already observed the danger appearing all about them and made a split second decision. “Keep moving!” she shouted.

In fact, the Titan didn’t bother to wait for the others to register her words and charged ahead. The other two Guardians, still trying to determine the best course of action, saw her move and instinctively followed after her. The sound of the cave-ins, of rocks and debris suddenly collapsing into three dozen hidden side channels and spilling into the tunnel, was immediately drowned out by the sound of Thralls. They chittered and screeched as they scrambled over the debris, pouring into the tunnel in a deluge of claws and shrieks. Several of the diminutive Hive drones clambered out of each one of the openings, a literal horde flooded the tunnel.

The fireteam had managed to pass a handful of openings before the Hive were able to take stock of their surroundings and focus on the fleeing Guardians. It did not take long for the entire mass of small, gangly creatures to turn and charge toward the Guardians. The fact that Thrall were the lowest and weakest of the Hive race did not matter to the three of them. In sufficient numbers, a Thrall horde could easily overwhelm multiple Guardians. And this mob was more than sufficient.

They were near a midpoint between two of the openings when the Hive turned to charge the fleeing Guardians. Kaizyn put her head down and reached within herself for the pools of power awaiting release. She shouted, her voice ringing clearly through the comm link over the din, “I’ve got this one!”

Ace saw Void Light envelop the female Sentinel’s body for a brief instant as she employed the same attack that she had used to save him from the Knights earlier. Her body became a weapon as the Void energy surged forward to her shoulder and arm, briefly forming into the shape of a shield. The energy exploded upon contact with the advancing Thrall, throwing this one group, a handful of the creatures, to the floor in a twitching scatter of bodies.

“Hold on!” Kaijae shouted as he turned back to the larger horse racing after them from behind. More than two dozen openings were behind them. Over one hundred Thrall filled the main channel with their shrieks. The male Striker lobbed a handful of Arc Light into the air and then quickly fired three rounds from his hand cannon wildly at the charging mass. There was no need for precision; all three shots struck three different targets and the three Thrall stumbled to the floor. They managed to trip their fellows closest to them, causing the slightest pause in the surge. But that brief moment was all Kaijae needed. The Arc grenade then exploded in a blinding, disorienting flash of light. The entire forward wall of the Hive wave was stalled as they screamed in pain and scratched at their faces in a vain attempt to clear their senses from Kaijae’s flashbang attack. The Titan had already resumed his retreat.

Ace rushed past Kaizyn as she regained her balance from her attack. Her single-handed elimination of that one small mob, done so swiftly, had bought them a moment of time and space before the next group. The Nightstalker borrowed Kaijae’s play and hurled his own grenade at the next group of Thrall rushing toward the fireteam. Unfortunately, Ace’s attack was not as effective at stalling the group. But two of the creatures did get caught up in the swirling Void Light energies, collapsing to the floor.

Raising his scout rifle, Ace barely slowed as he began to fire. A dozen rounds fired and two more Thrall fell to the ground a second later. Kaizyn’s Shadow Price rang out as she sighted in on the last Hive of that group and sent it, too, tumbling to the floor.

More space and breathing room between the fireteam and the next grouping of Hive. Except, the next throng appeared to consist of at least a couple of the small groups combined.

Kaijae had managed to catch up and rush past the both Ace and Kaizyn. Ace noted that the Titan had holstered his Eyasluna and now shouldered his Felwinter’s Lie. Ace followed the example and swapped the rifle for his own shotgun. Kaizyn considered her own secondary weapon, a LDR 5001, and quickly realized that the sniper rifle would not be of use in this engagement. She did not have time to put such a weapon to effective use as the team needed to stay ahead of the horde that was advancing behind them. Kaizyn continued to shoulder the auto rifle as she chased after her mate, only a few steps behind him.

Kaijae opened fire at almost point blank range. The shotgun blast obliterated the chattering Thrall as it tried to swipe at the weapon’s barrel. Kaijae didn’t even pause as he turned slightly to do the same thing again to the next Hive drone. As he fired a third time, Ace arrived at his right side and followed suit. The two Guardians slowed significantly as they did not want to allow themselves to be surrounded, but they still continued to advance. Kaizyn opened fire at any Hive that tried to swing out wide in an attempt to get around their fellows.

Ace emptied his Conspiracy Theory’s tube of all six shells before the last Thrall fell. Kaizyn pushed past him as she thrust a fresh magazine into her rifle’s receiver. Ace could hear the horde charging after them and knew he didn’t have the time to reload. The shotgun returned to his back as the Hunter retrieved his scout rifle.

Kaizyn preceded their attack on the final group ahead of them with her own grenade. A wall of Void fire exploded forth from the point where her hurled grenade landed on the floor, in the midst of the shrieking Hive. The handful that were already ahead of the point of impact ignored the wall of Void, while three of those caught in the initial blast were killed almost instantly. The last couple of Thrall managed to stop short of the Void fire.

Ace began firing without bothering to sight in on his targets. He didn’t want to slow down any more and risk getting overrun by the dozens of Thrall that were catching up to them. Kaizyn had already begun doing the same, immediately after she had thrown her grenade. Two of the Hive dropped to the floor.

Kaijae, now clutching his hand cannon, charged toward the remaining three. But rather than opening fire as he drew near, the Striker continued to charge as he lowered a shoulder. As Kaizyn had done moments ago, now Arc energy enveloped Kaijae in an instant before exploding forth from his body, into the two Thrall closest. The third Hive launched itself at Kaijae, scratching wildly at the Titan. The drone’s claws managed to take two great tears in the energy barrier, almost managing to actually scratch the Titan’s armor, before Kaijae destroyed it with a single, powerful punch.

Ace leapt over the dissipating wall of Void fire, knife in hand. He tackled a Thrall and dispatched it swiftly with a practiced thrust of the blade. Ace turned to attack the final Thrall left, but a loud retort from Kaijae’s hand cannon dropped it to the floor.

As Ace was about to deliver a witty quip, Kaizyn raced past the two and muttered breathlessly, “No time!”

Ace glanced up. The horde was mere meters away and seemed to have grown.


	11. Chapter 11

As he followed closely on the heels of Kaizyn and Kaijae, Ace spotted another oblivious Thrall wandering aimlessly ahead. Before he could issue any kind of warning, Kaizyn and Kaijae both veered to one side to avoid coming close to the creature. It did not react in the slightest to their passage.

It must have been the attack itself that triggered the alarm, Ace noted to himself. He spared a glance over his shoulder to see that the tidal wave of pursuing Thralls did not bother to avoid jostling the lone Hive. They didn’t trample the creature, nor did they even knock it to the ground, but they didn’t give it any kind of wide berth as they passed. Yet that single guard Thrall did not respond to the physical contact. Ace then wondered if it was the actual attack that triggered the alarm, or the presence of anything other than Hive.

If they weren’t actively being chased by several dozen Hive, Ace would have wondered about the effectiveness of such a trap. However, the evidence was quite obvious that it had been effective. Then Ace considered pausing long enough to take a few shots at the horde. A second glance over his shoulder reminded him that they had not managed to put any additional distance between themselves and the Thralls. Only a handful of meters meant that Ace would not be able to stop for any amount of time and then resume his flight before being overrun.

“Mal,” Ace muttered, “Where is the exit?”

A moment passed while the immaterial ghost considered. Finally, it responded, “ There are no exits other than wherever this tunnel is leading us. I’m sorry, Ace. ”

With a slight sigh, Ace just put his head down and continued to run.

As the three Guardians passed yet another alarm Thrall, Mal suddenly announced, “ Ace! There is a large chamber up ahead!”

Hope began to form within the Hunter. Maybe they could find a defensible position from which they could do something about the massive mob of clawing Thrall at their heels. A piece of high ground that they could utilize their Light-given powers to reinforce and strike from.

“ Wait! Ace! ” Mal cried out, “ The interference! ” 

It was too late. It was practically impossible to make out over the tumult from behind, but Ace’s audio receptors were able to just barely detect the low, persistent hum from earlier. Apparently, his companions’ ghosts had informed them as well as Ace then heard Kaijae’s voice ring through the comm, “Oh no.”

Kaizyn shouted, “It doesn’t matter! Keep moving!” 

The three Guardians could see the chamber ahead. Like the proverbial daylight at the end of a tunnel, there was a brighter glow awaiting them. Ace could make out a massive pedestal in the center of the room, with seven crystals half-buried into the dome-like stone ceiling. The increased brightness of the chamber was caused by the light radiating from these formations. Below each crystal was a stone, multi-tiered pillar that seemed to grow from the rocky floor.

Dozens of plans tried to form in the Hunter’s mind all at once. They had come to a space that offered multiple options for defensive posturing that could be bolstered through effective use of their Lightbearer powers. The pedestal was an excellent location for Kaizyn’s Ward of Dawn, even though it was still of a height that the Thralls could easily scale. On the other hand, the stone pillars were tall enough to elevate the team above the tide of incoming horde, but they would have to stand divided as the pillars were not very wide at the top.

All calculation fled from Ace’s mind as a familiar portal appeared in the center of the pedestal. From the doorway of inky, blackish-orange light, stepped forth a larger Hive warrior. A Knight.

Ace was not the only one to recognize the odd, reddish hue of the creature’s exoskeletal armor. Faintly, he overheard Kaizyn mutter, “Shit.”

Calculation returned. Crag’noth’s appearance simply reduced the number of options available to the team. The pedestal was no longer an immediate option for the Guardians to use as a rallying point.

Just as he was about to shout, Kaizyn’s commanding voice rang out once more, “Split up and climb!” She had come to the same conclusion as he.

Ace agreed with the direction, had been about to issue it himself, but ignored Kaizyn. As they charged into the chamber, Ace continued to move toward the center. Crag’noth managed a menacing laugh as he raised his sword in one hand overhead. A challenge.

The leading wall of the Thrall horde reached the entrance to the chamber. Ace suddenly stopped, halfway between the central pedestal and the entrance behind.

For a split moment, Ace closed his eyes and fell within himself. He felt the overwhelming pool of Void power welling up, barely contained and straining for release. The Nightstalker brushed his consciousness against the restraints holding back the power and felt them snap. Like a bowstring that had been drawn too taught, for too long, giving way at the press of a blade. The Void Light surged forth and consumed him.

This was the most dangerous part of using Void Light. Solar and Arc energies were capable of inflicting horrible damage on an untrained Lightbearer or a Guardian playing around dangerously with these energies. In fact, Ace was only one of a few Hunters who had learned to channel Arc energies into a stave instead of simple blades. A trick he had picked up from another Hunter, Kerissa. But no Nightstalkers played around with Void Light. While Warlocks and Titans created a channel for the energy to travel from within to an external manifestation of power, Hunters allowed the power to infuse their entire being before they could project it out onto reality. Hunters risked complete and utter annihilation.

In the next split moment, Ace felt the energy overwhelm his entire being. He willed it to concentrate in his hands as he ripped a literal hole in reality with one hand, his right, and punched the other into the tear. The Void Light flowed from his hands into that empty space and became an anchor. As Ace drew his hand out of the emptiness he had managed to cut into space, concentrated Void Light came with it. His left hand, still fully infused with Void power, gripped a physical manifestation of negative power. Through the force of the Nightstalker’s will, the Void energy forged the negativity into the shape of a bow. The right hand, also infused, snagged the bowstring and drew back. An arrow of blackness appeared between the bow’s frame and the string.

The tear in reality disappeared as quickly as it had been created, but Ace could feel the anchor that he had left in the negative space. As he released the bowstring, the Shadowshot arrow launched forth.

Ace did not aim for a particular enemy. Instead, the Nightstalker had spun about and aimed for the ground in front of the tidal wave of shrieking Thralls. With an explosion of negative energies, tendrils of power burst forth from a vortex of Void and snatched the smaller Hive in the leading throng of the horde. The tendrils managed to halt the advance as they caused every snatched Thrall to slow to a crawl.

The anchor in the Void channeled power to the tendrils. As more Thralls pushed their captured fellows forward, those who moved into range of the vortex were also captured and tethered to their fellows. Ace felt the tendrils drain each tethered Thrall, the energy was consumed by the vortex to empower itself and prolong its own existence. With every mindless Thrall that pushed its way into range of the attack, the Shadowshot was able to persist even longer.

Ace casually used his remaining Void power to create an energy grenade and tossed it into the mass of captured Hive. The tether not only drained energy from each captured enemy, but it also shared damaging energies introduced into the system. Ace’s grenade energy was transferred and amplified to all of the Thralls. Well over two dozen of the creatures fell to the floor instantly.

Before the Nightstalker could even allow himself a satisfied smile at the damage he had just managed to cause with that combination of powers, a powerful hand grabbed him by the shoulder. Spinning the Guardian around with one hand, Crag’noth used the other to hurl his sword at Kaijae, who had dropped to the floor in an attempt to come to the Hunter’s aid. The Titan stumbled as the heavy blade managed to knock a leg out from under him.

With both hands free, the Knight grabbed Ace and lifted him up off the ground with ease. The Hunter tried to fire his rifle at the Knight, but Crag’noth stunned the smaller Guardian with a head-but to the chest. Then the creature grasped Ace’s left leg with one hand and yanked with a savage, ferocious strength.

Ace felt it. Logic dictates that the ability to perceive pain is a survival mechanism as pain instructs a living being to avoid further harm to itself. There was nothing logical about what he was experiencing. Ace had never felt pain like this ever before. If he were not an Exomind, Ace would not have been able to remain conscious as he felt himself tumble to the stone floor, in an unceremonious heap next to his dismembered leg.

In utter shock, the Exo looked down at where his leg should be. The torn carbon fiber armor failed to cover up the destroyed techno-organic filaments that comprised his equivalent of skin and sinew. The servos that acted as bone and joint infrastructure for the Hunter were a mangled mess. Hydraulic fluid flowed onto the floor from the stump. And Ace could feel every little bit of it.

Right as Ace was about to panic from the shock and sensory overload, something inside of him seemed to disconnect. Ace was suddenly able to see with a kind of detached perception. The Hunter looked up to see Crag’noth give a satisfied chuckle before turning to face Kaijae. Ace watched as reality seemed to distort around the brute’s hand for a second and then the sword was back in its grasp. He could hear the mocking challenge issued as the Knight roared. 

Kaijae bellowed out his own challenge in response. Ace glanced over at the Striker, just in time to see him throw his arms out wide as he unleashed the pent up Arc Light that had built up within. Ace noticed Kaijae’s hand cannon fall from an open, outstretched hand. Just before the weapon hit the floor, it suddenly disappeared in a blue flash as an unseen Zuko caught the gun and transmatted it to the ghost’s local storage pocket dimension.

Ribbons of Arc energy appeared and surrounded the Striker’s entire body as he became a physical embodiment of a lightning storm. In one fluid motion, Kaijae arched his back as he raised his fists over his head, before then hurling his entire body forward to slam those fists onto the ground. Arc energy arced out from Kaijae’s body, into the floor. Crag’noth was a couple meters away from the point of impact, but some of that energy found the hulking Knight’s body. It surged up the beast’s legs, stunning it for the briefest moment. A moment was all that Kaijae needed.

Before that terrible sword could fall again, the Titan hurled himself at Crag’noth, his entire body made into an Arc-powered ballistic missile. And he refused to relent, Kaijae stayed inside the hulking creature’s defensive posture so that it could not block his attacks. Savage punches that tore away chunks of the Knight’s chitinous exoskeleton with every blow.

But the momentum could not be sustained. The pool of Arc Light within the Striker quickly emptied as each attack drained it. A short few seconds later, Kaijae stepped away from Crag’noth as he felt the power fade away.

Crag’noth did not immediately move to follow. Even though he still stood, the Knight was laboring with the effort it took to remain on its feet after the assault. The sword became a support crutch as the Hive warrior used the weapon to keep its balance. It’s other hand, though, the Knight slowly raised over head. Ace watched in frightened fascination as the Knight made a fist that began to radiate a darkness that managed to drain the ambient light from the room.

“Jae!” Kaizyn’s commanding voice rang out clearly, “Get down! Now!”

Kaijae didn’t hesitate. He threw himself to the floor. A moment later, a large explosion engulfed Crag’noth and sent the prone Kaijae tumbling away. Ace felt the heat of the explosion, even through his armor, as he turned his head to regard Kaizyn, standing atop a nearby stone pillar. The female Titan lowered a rocket launcher from over her shoulder as she waited for the smoke to clear so that they could witness the damage she had just wrought. Ace did not need to see Kaizyn’s face behind the helmet to know that the Awoken was grinning from ear to ear.


	12. Chapter 12

A cacophony of shrill cries drew all attention away from the smoking ruin that filled the area where Crag’noth stood. All three Guardians looked back to the cavern’s entrance to see Ace’s Shadowshot anchor losing energy. Several Thralls had managed to press forward far enough away from the central vortex that the tendrils of Void energy could no longer ensnare them. And even more Thralls were now struggling past that breaking point. There were still several dozen still tethered to one another, and a few dozen more about to push their way into it, but those who had broken free were charging once again.

Glancing to his left, Ace noticed Mal hovering over the dismembered leg. The ghost had instinctively materialized as soon as the Hunter fell, attempting to rescue its charge. But this injury required far too much Light to repair. Like Zuko earlier, Mal frantically struggled to break through the interference that hampered its connection to the Light.

Ace leaned forward and snatched the ghost out of the air and turned the central eye to face him. “Not now,” he commanded sternly before releasing Mal. With an acknowledging whirl of its shell, the ghost dematerialized.

The Thralls knew that Ace was the easiest target to dispatch and focused their charge toward the downed Hunter. Ace raised his rifle and awkwardly managed to twist about so that he could take aim at the Hive. Despite the odd positioning, the Hunter was able to hit every shot fired. And every three rounds managed to send one of the clawing, skeletal creatures tumbling to the ground. It was a moment later that Ace noticed that many more Thralls were falling to the floor than he could account for, that was when he realized that he could hear auto rifle fire from the pillar above him.

Then a pair of strong hands grabbed Ace by the left bicep. The Hunter turned swiftly and instinctively drew a knife with his free right hand. He almost plunged the blade into his assailant’s chest before he realized that it was Kaijae, turning Ace about so that the Titan could hoist the Hunter over his shoulder.

Ace returned the blade and quickly managed to grab his dismembered leg before Kaijae leapt into the air. The Titan’s Lightbearer power managed to propel the two quickly up high, much higher than any mortal could possibly jump. The first leap and lift carried the two Guardians over a handful of meters up to the first tier. Two more such jumps saw them arrive at the top of the pillar. There was barely enough room for the two Guardians as Kaijae set Ace down abruptly. 

“You’re safe here.” The abrupt tone informed Ace that his friend had seen the knife. The fact that Kaijae didn’t mention it told Ace that he had understood what had been going through Ace’s mind.

Another large explosion drew Ace’s attention to the chamber’s entrance once again. Kaizyn had fired another rocket, this time at the seething mass of tethered Hive. The force of the blast obliterated dozens of the scrabbling creatures, many directly, but also through the force of the blast shared through the Void energies. A clear and definitive empty space had been suddenly created in the center of the Thrall horde. Deprived of victims upon which to drain energy, the Shadowshot vortex disappeared abruptly.

Kaizyn’s voice carried through the comm link, “That was the last of my heavy munitions.”

Kaijae looked back from the destruction, down at Ace, “Can you fix yourself?”

Mal replied through the comm link, “The damage is too extensive. I need to effect a full-“

“Come out and let’s do this,” Kaijae interrupted. The Titan was eager to assist his mate in clearing out the Hive. Ace noticed Kaijae glance down to where Crag’noth had stood and followed his gaze. Rubble was strewn across the floor in the place where Kaizyn’s rocket had detonated, damaging the floor as well as its intended target. A large sword lay on the floor in the middle of the debris.

Mal then reappeared and immediately began creating an energy bridge between the Titan and the Hunter. Kaijae continued to stare at the sword. “Kaijae!” Mal commanded, “Focus!”

The Titan shook his head and turned back toward the ghost. Ace could feel the energy link become empowered as Kaijae focused on his own connection to the Light. As Mal gathered up the Light energy being channeled, Kaijae raised his hand cannon. The leading edge of Thralls, those who had managed to escape Ace’s attack, were gathering around the pillar’s base. Focused as he was on channeling his connection with the Light, Kaijae’s first few shots were off target. Any rounds that actually struck a Hive were just as much luck as marksmanship.

A couple moments later, Mal cancelled the energy bridge and washed Ace with a brilliant flood of energy. The Hunter instinctively closed his eyes as he felt himself begin to dematerialize. And in the next instant, he felt himself rematerialize. The process felt a lot like a jumpship transmat.

Ace found himself on his feet with his rifle at the ready. Now that he was no longer focusing on helping Mal reconstruct Ace, Kaijae was eliminating Thrall with every round from his hand cannon. The Hunter took aim and opened fire as well. With two Guardians targeting all of the Hive surrounding their shared pillar, they were able to clear the space below them.

Kaizyn was not as fortunate.As she emptied her magazine, firing down at the Thralls scaling the pillar in front of her, scratching claws tore at her legs from behind and threatened to trip the female Awoken. Before she could be sent tumbling into the shrieking mob below, Kaizyn leapt into the air and activated her lift ability to keep her floating above the skeletal, grabbing hands.

As she casually summoned emptied a pool of Void energy to create a grenade charge and tossed it to the ground below, Kaizyn called out, “A little help over here, guys?”

Ace glanced over in time to see the grenade charge erupt upon contact with the stone floor, spilling out in a straight line in either direction from the charge. A wall of Void fire rose up from that line, turning the hungry shrieks of outrage into agonized cries of pain. Kaizyn maintained her lift power to get her as far as possible toward a new pillar of stone, saving only just enough energy to ensure a safe landing on rocky ground. As she set down on the floor and began sprinting toward the next clear pillar, Kaijae and Ace both focused their fire on the Thralls who gave chase. Half a dozen fell as Kaizyn launched herself back into the air, quickly rising the handful of meters to reach the first tier and begin the ascent.

Ace then looked back to the tunnel’s entrance to the chamber. The last few Thralls were now pouring into the space. More than half their original number still stood, eager to overwhelm the Lightbearers and rip them apart. As he surveyed the room, Ace took stock of their situation. Both of their offensive super powers, his Shadowshot and Kaijae’s Fist of Havoc were spent; neither would be available for quite some time. Kaizyn still had her recharged Ward of Dawn, but had used all of her large munitions as well as her grenade charge. Several clusters of the Thrall horde had formed in the chamber. A couple groups were surrounding the two pillars as they were about to scale the stone formations to reach the Guardians. The others moved to fill the space around them, getting in position to react when one or more of the team were forced to abandon their position.

Seeing the clusters grouping together gave Ace and idea. With a mental command to Mal, Ace dropped his Hung Jury and felt the heavier weight of his Thunderlord machine gun fall into his hands. The Hunter didn’t need to look down to see that the scout rifle never made it to the floor; Mal had snatched it away to be stored safely. Ace focused on the cluster surrounding Kaizyn’s pillar and squeezed the trigger.

Ace loved firing his Thunderlord. He had once come across a data log in the ruins of a Golden Age city. Mal had managed to restore the device to functionality and Ace found a treasure trove of ancient Earth mythological stories. Fanciful tales from a place called Greece that spoke of supposed Gods and terrible monsters. Of clever heroes and mighty warriors. And Ace absorbed it all, unable to get enough until he had managed to read every word within the collection of texts. Whenever he had to bring his beloved Thunderlord machine gun to bear, Ace could not help but think of the mighty and terrible Zeus, hurling his divine thunderbolt at his foes.

As he squeezed the trigger, Ace hurled his own thunderbolt at the Thrall mob. The first round struck one of the spindly creatures and threw it to the floor in a flash of Arc energy. The second round did the same to the Thrall nearest to the first. Right as the third round struck yet another one, more Arc energy erupted from the dead Thralls to spread amongst the other Thralls standing nearest.

Ace fired several bursts into the cluster, creating multiple small pockets of Arc-empowered destruction. The Exo’s mouth formed a facsimile of a grin under his helmet as he watched the chain-lightning effect kill a handful of Thralls trying to scale the stone pillar. Despite the terrible danger of the current situation, Ace couldn’t help but enjoy the sheer power he wielded in defense of his friends.

Kaijae had continued to focus on the small swarm that had congregated around their pillar. Despite his best effort, both with his hand cannon and his shotgun, the Titan was unable to prevent the Hive from climbing up. “Ace! We gotta move!” he shouted over the cacophony of shrieks and heavy machine gun fire.

Not waiting for any acknowledgement, Kaijae leapt from the pillar and allowed his lift to carry him toward the next pillar. Ace heard Kaijae’s cry, but was too focused on helping eliminate the Thralls surrounding Kaizyn’s position for the words to register. It was not until a pair of clawed hands snatched at a leg and another tore at his shoulder that the Hunter realized that his position had been overrun. Thinking quickly, he leapt straight up into the air before hurling a small grenade charge at the spot where he had been standing. As soon as the charge struck the floor, it erupted into a noxious cloud of smoke that blinded and choked the pair of Thralls who had reached the top.

Even as those creatures tumbled off the side two more were scrambling to take their places. Ace called upon the Light and performed an impossible second jump while midair, using the extra time in the air to switch weapons. As he descended, his shotgun rang out clearly, obliterating the Thralls waiting for the Hunter.

Rather than trying to continue to defend his position, Ace opted to follow Kaijae’s lead. With a leap and then two more midair jumps, Ace cleared more than half the distance to the pillar that Kaijae had just alighted upon. The Exo didn’t need to look behind him to know that the ground was not a safe place to remain and moved to join his friend.

An eruption of Arc energy, a pulse grenade, covered his retreat. Ace looked up to see Kaijae salute before the Titan raised a freshly reloaded Eyasluna and take aim at the throng that continued to attempt to climb up to his mate’s position. As he boosted his way from tier to tier, up to the top of the stone monument, Ace considered their situation. They had managed to eliminate a little more than half of the horde as well as dispatch the powerful Hive Knight. While Kaizyn had used up all of the ammunition for her rocket launcher, they still had plenty of regular ammunition to deal with the current threat. With no other major menace present, the fireteam had moved into a battle of attrition where they held the advantage. As long as the three of them maintained the higher ground, the Thralls would see their numbers diminish before the Guardians were at risk of running out of ammo.

Such calculation and analysis was beyond the diminutive Hive, though. Single minded purpose and insatiable hunger drove them to continue to give chase. Each member of the team had to evacuate and change positions a couple of times before the final Thrall fell.

The chamber had been so full of gunfire and Thrall shrieking that the sudden silence was almost as jarring as a physical assault. Ace almost couldn’t believe that there were no more of the smaller, skeletal Hive trying to claw the Light out of him. The Hunter kept turning about, sweeping the room for the next threat. None came.

Ace looked to the side, at the pillar top where Kaijae and Kaizyn stood. At one point during the scramble to evade the horde, Kaijae had retreated to Kaizyn’s location while Ace fled to another. Now that the current threat had been eliminated, the two Titans shared an embrace.

Feeling suddenly modest, Ace quickly looked away. His gaze next fell on the sword that still lay on the floor. It was partially buried under the corpses of a couple Thralls, but the hilt was exposed and unmistakable amongst the rubble. Ace sat down and allowed himself to rest for a moment as he pondered their next move. 


	13. Chapter 13

Kaijae was the first of the team to move, making his way over to Crag’noth’s blade. The heavy weapon looked like a stone carving, something ceremonial or decorative, rather than a truly functional sword. Ace considered what the Titan might be thinking. The Knight’s sword didn’t seem all that different from any of the other ones that he had faced. Which, if he was going to be honest, was not very many.

As if reading his mind, Mal quietly spoke up, “That thing exudes power. The Hive worship the Sword Logic and their weapons reflect it. The more death a sword deals, the more influence it can exert upon the universe, and thus it becomes more powerful.” Mal paused a moment before continuing, “There was a good reason why Shaxx was worried about these weapons before the Great Disaster.”

Kaijae absently brushed the repaired slash in his Infinite Lines cuirass with one hand as he replied, “I could feel it. This thing has killed a lot.”

Ace considered the many stories that he had heard from the failed attempt to purge Crota’s horde from the moon. The Vanguard learned far too late about the devastating potential contained within the Hive swords and their Sword Logic religion. Kaijae was one of the toughest Titans that Ace knew. The fact that a single blow obliterated his energy barrier as well as cutting through the heavy armor was more than enough to convince Ace to fear these weapons.

The Exo quietly mused, “Does the power reside inside the sword or the wielder?”

“Both,” Mal answered, “The sword’s power is a reflection of the Knight’s strength, but that reflection can be projected back out onto reality. A sufficiently powerful sword could impart strength onto a new wielder.”

Kaizyn stepped forward and took Kaijae’s hand in her own. She said nothing, but simply gave his hand a squeeze. As if waking from a dream, Kaijae shook his head and looked up from the accursed blade. “Where do we head next?” he asked.

An excellent question. Ace had used the brief respite to survey the room. In their rush to find defensive positions, none of the three Guardians had been able to take the time to do so earlier. There were actually six other entrances to the chamber beside the one that they had been chased by the Thralls through, for a total of seven. Three of them were larger in size and spaced such that they formed a triangle. One of those entrances was the one that they had been chased through. The other four were much smaller and could barely be described as openings into the cavern. However, all seven were directly across from a pillar and crystal pair.

Twilin appeared next to its Guardian and announced excitedly, “There are multiple energy streams entering this chamber! There must be several of those manufactured thermal generator chambers, all feeding the crystal batteries in this room!”

Mal materialized as Ace looked up at the crystals overhead. “Agreed,” the Hunter’s ghost confirmed, “There is power flowing from each one of the openings to this chamber. Some are much stronger than others, but it is there.”

“Does that mean that all of these other tunnels will only lead us back down?” Ace asked, his disappointment apparent in his tone.

Twilin answered, “You are correct about those tunnels, Ace. But that does not mean that this is a dead end.”

Zuko then appeared and cast a beam of light at the ceiling above. Obscured by the shadows cast by the radiant crystals, a jutting ledge became apparent in the ghost’s light. A kind of balcony that overlooked the entire chamber. Inside his helmet, Ace frowned as he considered the position of the balcony in the ceiling. Already, standing atop the pillars in the chamber, they were high up enough that a fall off of one could do some damage to their bodies. The ledge was much higher up and in the center of the room. A failed attempt to make the jump would likely result in a complete reconstruction from a ghost, if not a full resurrection. 

Kaijae was first to speak up, “I don’t like the looks of that jump.” Apparently, Ace was not the only one to reach the same conclusion.

Zuko tried to sound encouraging, “You can make it. I have seen you cover that height many times.”

“Easy for you to say,” the Titan muttered in response, “You’re not the one who will feel the pain if I fall.”

“ _When_ we fall, you mean,” Kaizyn muttered. Ace was grateful for the helmet covering his face. He didn’t want his friend to see his apparent mirth at her dismay. Kaizyn was famous amongst the group for having difficulty manipulating the Light to use her lift ability with precision or for long distances.

Ace gauged the distance from the nearest pillar to the balcony. It would indeed be a long distance. He would have to time his jump boosts perfectly in order to reach the edge. Once they began an attempt, they were committed to the jump. There would be no way to alter course in any way to reach a different pillar before their Lightbearer ability gave out and sent them falling to the floor.

“Jae,” the Hunter muttered, “standby for rez.” Before the Titan could acknowledge the request, Ace moved to the pillar that stood closest to the ledge and began his ascent.

“Mal,” Ace called out as he holstered his weapon, summoning the ghost to materialize once again, “I need light.”

Mal “nodded” once and then turned to illuminate the ledge above. Despite not actually having physical lungs, Ace found himself taking a couple deep breaths as he prepared himself to make the first jump. He would need to travel over a dozen meters toward the center of the room, as well as several meters up.

“ _ Forward momentum... lots of it... _ ” Ace thought to himself. The top of the stone pillar was barely large enough for two steps. “ _ So much for a real running start... _ ”

Ace took the two steps as fast as possible before making the first, most important, leap up and out. The first jump provided the most distance and, thus, dictated how far he could travel in his chosen trajectory. While he was standing on the platform, Ace had considered when it would be best to use the two boost jumps that he could summon. If he wanted maximum height, he needed to boost just before gravity started pulling him back to the ground. But there was also the horizontal travel distance to the center to consider and Ace could wind up falling short if he boosted too soon.

Deciding that he would need to cover a little more space toward the center, Ace allowed himself to fall a little bit before activating his first boost. He could see the lip of the edge at eye level as he reached the peak of the second, shorter curve. The distance felt within range of his last boost, but Ace worried about the height. That fear drove the Hunter to activate his final midair jump right away. He had planned on trying to cover as much distance as possible, but instinct kicked in when panic took hold.

The boost lifted Ace well above the balcony’s floor, but he remained a couple meters away. The Exo knew that he would begin descending well before he could actually land on top of the ledge. But there was nothing that could be done at this point. Ace had used up all of his Lightbearer energy for the moment and so there was no way to alter his course or slow his descent. Gravity seized hold of the Hunter and began to drag him down. Ace simply focused on the balcony’s edge as he fell toward it, as if sheer will power could close the gap.

A moment later, Ace’s chest slammed into the balcony. If the Exo had lungs, he would have likely knocked the breath out of them. Ace was so surprised at the fact that he had managed to successfully cover the distance, that he almost let himself drop down. Fortunately, instinct took over once again as he grabbed hold of the stony edge and halted the fall. With inhuman, Lightbearer strength, Ace managed to hoist himself up onto the stone ledge.

“Nice one!” Kaijae called from below.

Ace acknowledged the compliment with a shaky wave and moved to sit down. The egress beyond the balcony was a steep staircase of large rocks that was only barely wide enough for one Guardian to pass. Ace cared only that he could sit down and wait for the moment to pass as his nerves shook off the stress of his jump. No matter how many different ways he had been killed, Ace always hated death or catastrophic injury that were caused by a poorly executed jump most of all.

As he allowed himself to settle into a fairly comfortable seat on a large rock, Ace overheard Kaizyn instructing Kaijae, “All right, my turn. Wait here.”

From his current spot, seated at the rear wall, Ace could see Kaizyn take starting position atop the same pillar that he had. He stood so that he could get an unobstructed view as he watched the Titan begin her jump. Kaizyn’s earlier comment was well founded; this was definitely a jump that would challenge her. Ace might have been amused earlier, but he was all concern now that she was actually making the attempt.

To his eye, her initial two-step launch was excellent and he approved of the Titan’s decision to initiate her lift ability right away. Delaying the lift would ensure that she could cover the horizontal distance, but she didn’t have the Hunter’s benefit of recovering height at any point in her jump. A delay would have prevented her from reaching the maximum possible vertical distance.

Renewed apprehension took hold, though, as Ace saw Kaizyn’s trajectory begin to wobble. He noticed that she was looking down, at the floor, rather than up at the ledge she was attempting to reach. Her own anxiety made the Titan momentarily lose focus on the balcony and now she was panicking. Rather than a direct path to the lip of the ledge, Ace could no longer determine where Kaizyn would wind up before her lift ability gave out.

Kneeling down and down extending a hand, Ace called out, “Kaizyn!” There was a chance that he could prevent her fall if she reacted on time.

Unfortunately, as Kaizyn reached for Ace’s outstretched hand, her lift ability gave out. She fell like a heavy stone. Approximately one hundred pounds of Guardian plus another hundred pounds of Vanir Type 2 armor. And since the Titan was off balance from desperately trying to reach for the balcony, Kaizyn tumbled as she fell. Ace winced as he witnessed her land in a heap on the pedestal far below.

Twilin immediately materialized as Kaijae rushed to her side. Ace could hear Kaizyn’s pained cry through the comm link. Something had broken. Despite the protection provided by the heavy armor, it was apparent that it failed to prevent her shoulder from being forced into an unnatural position by the fall. Kaizyn’s right arm hung limp and unresponsive as she struggled to sit up.

Kaijae arrived and firmly held his mate still as he focused on Twilin. Ace could sense the gathering and transfer of Light energy between the male Awoken and the ghost. A moment later, Kaizyn vanished and then reappeared, standing sound and whole in the place where she had been laying.

All three Guardians sighed heavily in relief as Kaijae stood up. Kaizyn gingerly touched her right collar as the memory of pain started to fade. Ace watched as Kaizyn moved back to the pillar and began ascending to the peak once again. Neither of them noticed Kaijae kneel down to inspect the area atop the pedestal where Kaizyn had landed.

“Kaizyn, keep your eyes on me,” Ace tried to sound encouraging, “I’ll try to help you if you can get close enough.”

Kaizyn nodded once in acknowledgement before she took her first step. She repeated her previous launch attempt, but kept focus on the Hunter kneeling atop the balcony. The Titan’s path through the air wavered slightly at the midpoint, but it was barely noticeable. With the clear and distinct target of Ace in sight, Kaizyn was able to ignore any distraction and didn’t over correct this time.

As she drew near, Ace reached out a hand, but it was hardly necessary. This time, the Titan’s path brought her to the balcony’s edge, in an even better position than the Hunter’s, as she managed to slide onto the ledge top. Ace caught one hand and helped guide Kaizyn into a safe position away from the edge.

“Thanks, Ace,” Kaizyn said, breathless from tension, as she stood up.

Ace gave her a gentle, encouraging clap on the side of a shoulder before turning about to observe Kaijae. The unexpected sound of a shotgun startled the Hunter. Kaizyn moved forward to join Ace and the two looked down at their companion below. He had apparently just fired upon Crag’noth’s sword. The weapon shattered under the blast, falling apart into a thousand tiny pieces

Returning the shotgun to its magnetic holster on his back, Kaijae stooped down and retrieved something from the rubble. From their height, the other two could not make out what had captured the Titan’s attention. They both simply waited patiently for him to catch up and join them on the balcony.

Having the benefit of watching Kaizyn’s attempts, Kaijae was able to complete the jump without any incident. Ace moved to the rear of the balcony to make room for the second Titan. Before either of the two waiting Guardians could ask anything, Kaijae held out his hand and presented a small crystal.

“I found this inside that sword,” the Titan declared, “When you fell, you landed on the sword and somehow managed to snap it in half! I couldn’t believe that you broke it and was curious if it would break more,” Kaijae’s tone suddenly became harsh and grim, “I wanted it destroyed.”

The crystal was jagged and black. A black that almost seemed to suck the light into itself, rather than reflecting anything. It was similar in size and shape to the Titan’s gloved thumb.

Ace looked up from the small crystal and asked, “This was inside the sword? How did you break it?”

Kaijae shrugged, “I don’t know why, but I was able to obliterate it.”

Shaking her head with disbelief, Kaizyn wondered aloud, “If we were able to break it like that, it should have shattered when he struck you!”

Twilin materialized and commented, “Hive swords are paracausally connected to their wielders. Perhaps, now that the Knight has been dispatched, the weapon lost its connection to those energies that bound it together.”

Kaijae looked up from the crystal to the ghost, “Then what is this?”

Zuko appeared at Kaijae’s shoulder. “The crystal is emanating the same frequency that we have been detecting since we arrived,” the ghost observed, “It appears that this crystal has been storing some of that Knight’s power.”

Twilin then spoke up, “This must be the mechanism by which Hive swords are able to project their wielders’ power back onto reality.”

Kaijae looked to Zuko and instructed, “Let’s hold onto it, then. It may prove useful down here.”

“Okay!” the ghost quipped, “C’mon, little guy. Into the tesseract you go.” The black crystal disappeared with a familiar blue flash of light.

Kaizyn turned to regard the chute at the back of the balcony. She did not sound nearly as cheerful as the ghost when she commented, “Time to climb up the rocks and boulders now?”


	14. Chapter 14

As one, the team turned to face the shaft. Being the closest, Ace began climbing first. Mal appeared at his shoulder, providing illumination in the stark blackness. The chimney was not very large, but was still wide enough for them to not feel cramped. And it was practically vertical. Several times, Ace would use his Lightbearer jump to scale larger boulders quickly. He only struck his helmet against the stone around them once, when he misjudged his footing and launched himself at an angle, rather than straight up. Kaizyn and Twilin followed behind; the Titan using her lift often to match pace. Kaijae and Zuko followed suit.

After only a few minutes of climbing, the chute began to grow in size. From only a couple meters wide, the chimney slowly doubled and then tripled in space as the fireteam ascended. Eventually, Ace slowed down and waited for his companions to catch up. There was enough room for the three to continue climbing side by side. The rocks and boulders had also slowly morphed into something that appeared more deliberate and worked.

As Ace waited, he turned and looked to the opposite side of the chute. There were still hand holds and small ledges above him, but they were becoming spaced farther and father apart. As the empty areas on either side of Ace grew, so did the space behind him. The ridge that he currently stood on was barely wide enough for one foot, yet the nimble Hunter was able to jump and turn about completely so that he could get a good look at the far wall.

The prospects for scaling the opposite side were no better than his current position. There were a few ledges and outcrops dotting the now smoother wall, but they were just as far apart from each other as those in his current path.

As Kaizyn pulled herself onto an outcrop of stone a couple meters away, Ace looked straight up. The walls continued to grow further apart as they rose ever higher. Kaijae arrived at a different ledge a moment later. The Hunter looked to Mal, hovering at his shoulder, and instructed, “Douse the light. I want to see how dark it is up there.”

All three ghosts stopped casting beams of light. As soon as the darkness returned, Ace was able to see a faint glow radiating above. It was hard to judge from their current location, but it felt like a long distance to Ace’s optics. As his vision adjusted, the Hunter realized that there were actually two points of light as some kind of mass crossed from one side of the shaft to the other.

“Is... is that a bridge up there?” Kaijae asked quietly.

Ace looked over at the Titan and then back up again. He experienced an odd sensation as he began to reconsider his perception of their current location. They were not scaling some absurdly high wall; they were climbing up from a bottomless gulf. Whatever else that mass above them may actually be, it was also a bridge crossing an abyssal pit.

“Twilin,” Kaizyn spoke up, “How far up is that?”

The Awoken’s ghost considered for a moment before answering, “Close to two hundred meters.”

“Climbing is getting more difficult,” Kaijae observed, “It was easy when it was all busted boulders and big rocks down there. Now I am not sure where to go next from this spot.”

“One moment,” Zuko chimed in. Ace saw the familiar flashes of light that indicated when a ghost was taking a detailed scan of the area. A second later, several grey indicators appeared in his helmet display. “These are footholds that you should be able to stand upon,” the ghost explained.

Ace looked about, from side to side and above. There were quite many, but the indicators confirmed that there was significant distance between the greater majority of the tiny ledges.

Mal then announced, “Here, Ace. I have plotted the most optimal path for your ascent.”

A handful of the indicators suddenly changed from dull grey to a brighter white. It wasn’t a straight path at all, but Ace could see how Mal chosen those ledges that were highlighted. As he looked up, Ace could see that there were actually a couple points where the optimal path required the Exo to jump to a ledge on the opposite wall.

“I wish I had decided to wear the lighter gear,” Ace commented, glancing down at the Argus chest plate and vambraces. This particular set contained more metal plating, with more layering, than his other sets.

“We expected resistance,” Mal replied, “Heavier armor for better protection in a pitched battle. We had no idea that we would be scaling a cliff.”

“It was rhetorical, Mal,” Ace sighed.

The ghost merely spun its shell with an exasperated whirl in response. Ace chose to ignore Mal’s pouting attitude and focused, instead, on the route plotted out. One of the white diamond markers in his display shone slightly brighter than the rest of the indicators, telling Ace that this was his next move. It was on the same side of the shaft that they currently found themselves, above and just a little to right.

“Well, let’s have some light again now that we’re going to start climbing,” Kaizyn commanded. Her voice sounded a little shaky; she was not looking forward to this.

All three ghosts began casting light once more, each one focusing on the ledge that they wanted their Guardian to move to. Ace and Kaijae both glanced over at their companion. There wasn’t much that they could do to help in this situation. All three had their own path to take, else they would likely bump into one another and cause each other to fall. The only assistance that anyone could provide would be to help a ghost resurrect someone who failed a jump and tumbled to the bottom of the pit. Ace hoped that such aid would not be required as it would mean a lot of time lost for those who needed to climb back up.

Ace pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind as he made his first leap. A strong, vertical jump so that he could use his midair boosts to move himself horizontally to land on the larger outcrop. The nimble Hunter watched Kaijae take a much more direct route to his next foothold. The Titan practically slammed into the wall above the outcrop he was aiming for, using his hands to stop himself at the last moment and then guide him to land on the tiny ledge. Kaizyn stayed close to the wall the entire way up on her first jump, using her hands to walk herself to her target as she used her lift ability.

And so it went for all three Guardians as they scaled the wall. There were a handful of tense moments, such as when one of the Titan’s lift ability ran out before they were in the best possible position, or when Ace would mistime a boost and almost fall short. And every time one of the team had to make a jump to the opposite side of the pit in order to progress, the other two would stop and watch with their collective breaths held. 

Ace wanted to open up an encouraging dialogue going for his team, but knew better. Confident Kaijae would have had no issue, but Kaizyn would have not appreciated it at all. Even reassuring words would have been an unwelcome distraction to the Titan. The Hunter smiled as he recalled the last time he had tried to offer uplifting words of support to Kaizyn when she was feeling great stress. The Titan had politely, but firmly, told Ace, “Shut up.”

The smile grew wider as Ace considered the fact that Kaijae seemed to be incapable of learning this lesson. He had lost count of the number of times Kaizyn had to inform her mate of how unhelpful his attempts to help her were. But encouraging his mate struck Ace as a personality trait that helped to define the male Awoken. As aggravating as it was in the moment, Kaijae’s supportive nature was one of the primary reasons why she loved him. Still, it never failed to amuse Ace when those moments occurred.

Kaizyn’s voice cut through Ace’s reverie, “How much further do we have to go?”

The fireteam had been slowly ascending for almost an hour. Ace looked up and could make out some of the details of the mass above. Rather than a vague blackness that split the top’s opening in half, Ace could clearly see that it truly was an actual bridge that crossed the chasm. The span appeared to have been carved into place, rather than constructed, as it blended seamlessly into the shaft’s walls at either end.

The agile Nightstalker had managed to climb the wall a fair bit faster than his companions. The ambient light above was now sufficient enough for Ace to make out the path so he instructed his ghost to turn off the light beam and dematerialize. He did not want to risk alerting any potential enemies above. Ace looked down in time to witness Kaijae alight onto an outcrop a short few meters below. The more cautious Kaizyn was several more meters further below, scaling the opposite wall to her next jump point. Ace nodded approvingly at their progress. Far better to take their time than to risk a death in this place.

As Kaijae arrived near the same elevation as Ace, the Titan dismissed Zuko as well and saluted the Hunter. Ace returned the salute and then signaled to hold position. In an unspoken accord, the two Guardians had agreed to maintain silence. Kaijae nodded and looked down to watch his mate’s progress. Ace looked up to the bridge. The path markers in his display indicated that he would come level to the bridge’s surface a couple meters to the side of where it met the wall. The Hunter then focused on his auditory sensors for any sign of Hive presence. Ace wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved that he couldn’t hear anything beyond the sound of Kaizyn and Kaijae breathing. The silence would have felt oppressive if it hadn’t been for the company of his team.

A couple minutes later, Kaizyn arrived to a ledge on the wall opposite of Ace and Kaijae. Wordlessly, all three paused for a moment to give Kaizyn a chance to consider the last few jumps in her path and to steady her breathing before resuming the climb. Kaijae held out his hand to Kaizyn, open palm up, to indicate that she make the first jump. The female Titan nodded and, a couple seconds later, leapt. The other two followed suit.

As he performed his first midair jump, Ace reached over his shoulder and pulled the Hung Jury from its magnetic holster. Despite the fact that she had jumped first, Kaizyn’s teammates arrived at their target locations first, thanks to their more aggressive movement styles. Yet, both Ace and Kaijae looked to Kaizyn to initiate each jump so that the three progressed at the same pace the rest of the way to the top.

As they neared the last couple jumps, Ace paused to use his rifle’s scope to scout the area of the bridge that lay within his line of sight. No sounds and no signs of movement. The Hunter shook his head with disbelief and simply shrugged to his companions as he lowered the rifle. Ace almost felt disappointment at the utter lack of threat in these final few meters to their goal of solid ground.

Kaizyn, feeling impatient to escape the confines of the shaft, made her jump. Again, the other two Guardians were quick to follow her lead. Ace arrived at the ledge that was only a couple meters below the bridge’s brim. From his position near the point where it met the wall, Ace could see down the full length of the span. He had arrived at the waypoint ready for combat, rifle raised.

There was no threat.

The two Titans both landed on the bridge proper near the midpoint, from opposite directions. As one, they turned to look at the Hunter. Ace sighed as he returned the scout rifle once more to his back and made the final jump that ended his ascent. A slight chuckle managed to escape his vocal processor as he realized that he truly had been disappointed that there was no enemies awaiting them at the top of their climb.

“Me too, buddy,” Kaijae commented. Ace looked up in time to notice the Titan holster his Eyasluna.

“Boys,” Kaizyn muttered and shook her head with exasperation. She then turned back toward the exit nearest to where she had landed. The space where the bridge met the wall was an empty doorway with an ornate arch framing the maw.

It was then that Ace noticed a striking difference between the bridge and the rest of the areas that they had been traversing. Rather than tunnels and chambers that had been obviously worked for smooth treading, this space had been finished. The floor beneath his feet was not merely the smooth rock of the tunnels below. The bridge’s surface had been carved to resemble a brick roadway for the entire length. The shaft’s walls remained the same nondescript rocky surface as before, but the archways at either end of the bridge were carved with deliberate precision. The sides were perfectly symmetrical with their carved wedges and a keystone at the top. Each wedge had a Hive rune carved into the face.

The bridge, and thus the doorways, was three meters wide and at least ten times that in length. Ace looked up and observed that the light source was yet another glowing crystal, this one mounted in the ceiling, a couple dozen meters overhead. The shaft that they had been scaling ended abruptly and the crystal was placed in the center point.

“Hey, Mal,” Ace summoned the ghost with an opened hand, “Is that crystal receiving any of the power we’ve been following?”

The ghost’s cuboid shell spun as it scanned the glowing gem. After a couple moments, Mal answered, “It is hard to determine. The crystal appears to be a battery and it is at capacity. The frequency signature is definitely a match. And given its position, it is a logical assumption. There just is no active link at this time.”

Kaijae spoke up, “I’ll take that as a yes. And that means we are still on the right track.”


	15. Chapter 15

Ace turned away from his team to inspect the doorway closest to him. The tunnel on the other side of the archway was not long; the Hunter could see the next chamber from where he stood on the bridge. Rifle readied, Ace silently moved forward.

The Nightstalker paused at the chamber’s entrance, mentally preparing to Shadestep into transparency at the slightest need. He could feel the various pools of power within himself; they were all filled to burst and ready to be unleashed, as he checked around the corners. There were no enemies awaiting at the immediate entryway.

With no apparent danger nearby, Ace looked up to observe the chamber. It was an oblong space with multiple tiers at both sides, stairs connected all of the levels near the front area, close to the entryway. Interspersed along each level were smaller doorways. Before Ace could begin to wonder at the purpose of the room, movement at far end caught his eye. The Hunter shrunk back into the darker space of the tunnel, waiting to see if he had been spotted.

The movement was of a trio of Hive Acolytes, walking down the chamber’s center lane. Their pace was meandering and the three came to a stop after only a few meters. They were still a fair distance away. Ace felt an initial impulse to bring his weapon to bear, but thought better of it. There were dozens of doors and he had no idea of what could be behind them. And these three Acolytes were oblivious to his presence. Better to retreat and regroup with the others.

As the Hunter backed away from the room, Kaijae’s excited voice came through the comm link, “Ace! Come here! We went through the other hallway!”

Ace frowned for a moment, puzzled. Kaijae sounded pleased, not distressed. The excitement in the Titan’s voice urged Ace to haste. The Hunter managed to remain silent as he slipped back into the tunnel and raced back to the bridge.

A moment later, Ace spotted his friends waiting for him at the entrance to another chamber. Kaizyn motioned for him to join them.

“Hey, I spotted some Hive in-“ Ace’s comment trailed off to stunned silence as he took in the scene before him.

This was no mere cave or stone chamber that the Guardians had found their way into. It was a grand hall. Ace had always imagined that the Hive lived in dark caves and cold mines. The tunnel network that they left in the pit below had worked to reinforce this notion. The chamber that they currently stood within now shattered that perception.

A massive, egg shaped stone dominated the circular room he had entered. The stone had sharp ridges climbing vertically from bottom to top at evenly spaced intervals. It seemed to be suspended in midair, adorned with intricate carvings that glowed orange like an ornate furnace. The walls here had been carved and smoothed such that they appeared to be actual panels instead of stone. The surfaces were adorned with sconces that held crystals, emanating a pleasant blue glow. A dais to the team’s right received a wide staircase that came down from somewhere above. To the left, a smaller stairway led from a closed doorway in the wall to a balcony that rested at the stone’s midpoint. Ace could barely make out the edge of another doorway on the opposite side of the large stone.

Mal’s voice, sounding awestruck, quietly came through the comm link, “I think I know where we are. I have heard descriptions of this place.”

“This is the Temple of Crota,” Kaijae declared.

“We’ve been here before,” Kaizyn explained, “Zavala sent us here a few months ago, to deal with some witches that were stirring up trouble with a ritual of theirs.”

“We three have just slipped in through the back door,” Kaijae announced proudly, “They have a small army waiting at the main entrance. We had to fight through a horde of Acolytes and Knights to get here last time.”

Ace considered the opposition that they had already faced to reach this point and wondered if a direct battle with a small army would have been easier. Kaizyn must have sensed his thoughts as she commented, “It was a very difficult fight. I honestly don’t know how we got through them all. I must have been rez’d over a dozen times before we made it through the main door.”

Kaijae pointed with his Eyasluna to the dais and stated, “That will lead us back to the main entrance. If you have a Lunar map, it is somewhere East of the Anchor of Light.”

Ace nodded. He was familiar with the Anchor’s surface location. He had participated in several missions dealing with the Fallen in that particular zone. Yet, he could not recall ever seeing anything that could have matched this Hive fortress. All of his missions to Luna found him hunting Fallen down smaller cave networks and through Golden Age ruins.

“If that’s the way up,” Ace began.

“Then the way down is over there,” Kaizyn finished and gestured to the area opposite the suspended stone.

Kaijae had already started moving forward, but Kaizyn turned to Ace and asked, “What were you saying earlier?”

Ace remembered, “Right! There’s a chamber with some Acolytes back there. If we were to take the other direction across the bridge. I don’t know how many there may be, but I think it would be wise not to raise any alarm.”

Kaijae glanced over his shoulder, back at the other two Guardians, and commented, “No Fist of Havoc. Got it.”

Realizing that they were being left behind, Kaizyn and Ace both hurried to catch up to Kaijae. The two followed the curvature of the room around the carved stone to find another staircase leading up a short distance to another exit. Kaijae stood just beyond the threshold, staring to one side. As Ace passed through, he could understand why the Titan stood mesmerized.

The hallway had only one wall on the left. The right side was just a vast emptiness, illuminated with an eerie, bright blue glow that seemed to originate from far away in the opposite direction. To Ace, it was like trying to look at the sun on a cloudy day as a thin mist permeated the space. There was no visible far wall on the other side of the emptiness. He looked down and saw that the sheer cliff wall dropped beyond his ability to see. Ace had the distinct feeling that this ravine was much deeper than the pit that they had just climbed up from.

“My word,” Kaizyn whispered, “I heard Guardians claim that the Hive had hollowed the moon out, but I thought they were exaggerating.”

Ace nodded. The vastness of this hollow left the Hunter speechless with awe.

“I think one of those tunnels almost breached the wall below us,” Kaijae commented quietly.

“If it had, I bet we still wouldn’t have been able to see the bottom of this place,” Kaizyn replied.

Ace merely shook his head and took a step back from the edge. He searched for a witty quip to lighten the mood, but the sheer scale of the undertaking that was required to create such a massive chamber left him speechless. The Hunter then looked up and noted a stone ceiling several dozen meters above that stretched out into the distance. A couple massive stalactites-like structures hung from the canopy like tiny, inverted mountains. Near the base of the closest hanging rock, Ace spotted a dozen fluttering shapes.

“Are those bats or moths?” the Exo asked.

“Moths,” Kaijae answered, “Large ones. They seem to be found wherever the Hive den. Harmless. Best to just leave them alone.”

“Agreed. Let’s keep moving,” Kaizyn put action to words as she resumed walking down the corridor.

The other two Guardians followed close behind. Despite the lack of any threat indicators in their visors’ displays, all three moved quietly and with weapons at the ready. It was possible that they had managed to escape the interference zone in their climb up the pit, but the lack of any update from their ghosts spoke volumes. Ace didn’t want to risk summoning Mal to perform a scan of the area. It was possible that the mere act of looking for any kind of signal obstruction could result in the team being detected.

Kaizyn paused at the end of the hallway, near the exit carved into the left wall. Ace moved to get a better view of the area beyond the doorway when he noticed that a faint red glow had appeared at the very edge of his threat detector. He glanced back to the two Titans.

“I think this means our scanners are working again,” Kaijae commented quietly. The fact that the indicator was faint and only populating the very edge of the display informed the Guardians that the scanners were picking something up around thirty meters away.

“Assuming that this isn’t some trap,” Ace commented sourly.

“Only one way to find out,” Kaijae replied as he took a step forward.

“Wait,” Kaizyn placed a hand on the other Titan’s shoulder, “Let’s have Ace scout it out. I assume you can Shadestep away from any trouble.”

“Yeah,” the Nightstalker answered, “I haven’t used it in a while.”

“Good. We’ll be close behind.”

Ace peeked around the threshold and found a flight of stairs leading a short way down to a landing. He couldn’t see anything beyond the landing as the stairway turned to the right. No Hive were present; confirming thus far the information provided by their sensors.

Listening carefully for any dangerous sounds as he descended the staircase, Ace considered how much he took the “radar” for granted. When he had no reason to doubt the accuracy of the data his sensors provided, the Hunter was downright reckless with his faith. Missions into areas of high interference similar to the tunnels far below always made him truly appreciate the tech for a while.

Another open doorway awaited the team beyond the landing, at the bottom of a second flight of stairs. Ace had gone down halfway when a faint sound registered from the area beyond the opening. Holding up a hand to tell the Titans to hold their position back on the landing, Ace crept the final few steps to the doorway.

The sound of Hive chatter became more clear as the Hunter took the final step of the stairway. The room beyond the doorway appeared to be split level, from what Ace could see on his side of the entrance. There was yet another short span of steps leading down to the floor of the room. On the opposite side of the chamber, though, he could see a balcony with small, regularly spaced parapets, at the same level as the entrance. Ace surmised that the balcony followed the curvature of the room beyond his line of sight. There were no Hive in view, yet the radar display in his visor indicated that something was nearby, to the right of the doorway.

Ace shifted to one side so that he could get a clearer view of the room to the left, confirming that no enemies awaited them in that area of the room. The balcony did continue to the side, creating a second tier above the floor around the entire room. The Hunter then moved over to the other side, careful to remain in the shadowed corner. 

From his new position, Ace could see two Acolytes chattering to one another, standing in the space between two of the parapets. They appeared completely unaware of the presence of Guardians within their stronghold. He also noted that the chamber continued to the right, beyond his line of sight.

Silently, the Hunter slipped back up the stairs to join the two Titans and explain what he had found.

“It will only take one to sound an alarm,” Kaijae commented grimly.

“And we don’t know what else may be in that chamber,” Kaizyn added, “So gunfire may wind up alerting Hive that we cannot see in the rest of that room.”

“I can handle those two Acolytes,” Ace said firmly, “It’s not a problem. I’m just concerned that there may be more, but I can’t scout further without using my Shadestep. Because if I use it to scout,” Ace let the comment hang meaningfully.

“You won’t be able to use it to clear the two that are there,” Kaizyn concluded.

Ace nodded.

“I say you take care of them,” Kaijae stated, “Drop them and we’ll rush to join you. If there are more Hive, we’ll support you. If not, we’ll wait and see from there.”

“There’s really no other way,” Kaizyn agreed, “The longer we wait here, the more likely this becomes moot as we get discovered.”

Ace nodded again.

The three Guardians descended. Ace felt for the pool of Void energy that he wanted and relaxed his hold on the power. An imperceptible wall of Void appeared in front of the Nightstalker as he dove forward, through the doorway. The Acolytes didn’t hear the stealthy Hunter roll to his feet, invisible. With mere seconds of camouflage to work with, Ace sprinted forward, taking the most direct path available. He leapt over the parapet closest to the doorway, making a straight line rather than following the curve of the balcony. The Hunter performed a pair of midair boosts to carry him across the full distance. One of the Hive noticed the slight sound caused by the Lightbearer ability and turned toward the sound.

Since the Acolyte could not see the Nightstalker, it was too late. Ace landed quietly between the two Hive soldiers with his knife drawn. With a brutal thrust, Ace dispelled the camouflage as he dispatched the Acolyte. His fellow, surprised to see a Guardian suddenly appear out of thin air in front of him, hesitated to react. The Hive couldn’t determine if he should scream an alarm, attack with the shredder in his hands, or flee to a safer position.

The split second hesitation was what Ace had counted on. He punched the Acolyte in the face; a move designed to further stun and confuse the soldier rather than do any real harm, and then wrenched the knife free from the chitinous armor of the dead Hive soldier. Before the soldier regained its wits, the Hunter plunged the blade into the Hive’s unarmored neck.

Kaijae and Kaizyn had waited for Ace to become visible before leaving the stairwell. They were able to arrive just as Ace finished wiping his knife clean. All three Guardians froze and waited, listening for any sign of alarm. Kaizyn held up a finger to her helmet, signaling for silence. She had just noticed that new indicators were new showing in their threat detector.

Ace, suddenly realizing that he was standing directly in front of an open doorway to another chamber, moved to join the two Titans off to the side. The Hunter had been so focused on the Acolytes, he failed to notice the pair of archways in the wall behind the parapets. 

All three Guardians paused and hunkered down, waiting to see if Ace had triggered any alarm. The radar display in Ace’s visor still displayed potential threat in the near vicinity. It was difficult to determine if the enemy detected was in the smaller room next to them, or if it was in the section of the larger chamber around the corner ahead of them.

Zuko suddenly materialized in front of them. It’s shell spun with the excitement as it whispered, “Jae! The crystal is reacting to something!”

Kaijae held out a hand and the crystal from the Knight’s sword appeared in his palm. “I think it’s vibrating,” Kaijae observed quietly a moment later.

“Yes,” Zuko affirmed, “Even in the tesseract, it was doing it.”

“But why?” Kaizyn looked from the crystal up to the ghost, “Why would it start acting up now?”

“Yeah, I would think that altar upstairs in Crota’s temple would be a more likely place for a Hive relic to react,” Kaijae agreed. He turned to regard the archway leading to the smaller chamber and stopped abruptly. “Guys, it’s vibrating more.”

Ace moved to inspect the next room. His optics first searching for any possible enemies within, but couldn’t spot any. Then the Hunter actually registered the scene before him.

“Jae,” Ace reached back and grabbed Kaijae’s arm, pulling the Titan over to join him, “I think I found what you’re looking for.”


	16. Chapter 16

As one, all three Guardians slowly entered the room. It only comprised a small corner of the larger chamber that they had just been in, but the importance of the place was apparent. They stood upon a raised platform with stairs descending down a single level at either end. The floor where the stairs landed stretched for only a few meters before rising back up again, to create a dais for the dominating feature of the room.

A large stone pillar stood at the center of the platform, almost tucked into the corner of the room. It was practically covered in small, thin slits that glowed a dull orange from within. At the peak, an orb of orange light glowed brightly as it hovered above the column. The entire structure pulsed and thrummed with power. Ace could feel it radiating outward from the platform, even from several meters away, still standing in the entryway.

Kaijae absently took a step forward. Kaizyn and Ace both turned sharply to regard the Titan. He had stopped inspecting the room and was now staring down at the crystal in his palm. As he took another step, Kaijae quietly muttered, “It’s singing.”

Before Ace could question the comment, Mal materialized in front of the Hunter. “This is it!” the ghost managed to remain quiet, despite the excitement in its voice, “This matches the power signature we were given by Xander. This is the World’s Grave.”

Mal glided through the air over to inspect the towering column. Ace hurried to join the ghost on the dais, weapon ready to defend his ghost. The Hunter did not trust that they would remain alone in this space for long. There still remained a threat indicator on his radar, at the very edges of his sensor’s ability to detect, but still far too close for any kind of comfort.

As Mal began to scan the pillar, Kaizyn was able to shake Kaijae from his stupor. The Titan looked up at his mate and asked, “Don’t you hear it?”

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart, but I don’t hear anything,” Kaizyn then summoned her own ghost forth, “Twilin, can you detect anything from the crystal? Is this thing dangerous?”

Twilin scanned the gemstone for a moment before responding, “There is a very subtle harmonic signal. I suspect that if you were to touch the crystal as well, you would be able to hear it like KaiJae is able to. However, I do not believe there is any danger. It is not projecting any kind of Hive interference field. His Light remains unaffected.”

Kaizyn shook her head, somewhat dissatisfied with the answer. She did not appreciate how the crystal’s sudden antics were affecting her mate. Kaizyn looked over to Zuko and asked, “Can you return this to your storage? Even if the harmonics are not dangerous, they’re interfering with Jae and that makes it unsafe.”

Kaijae shook his head and replied, “It’s fine. I’m fine.” 

Mal suddenly spoke up, “Speaking of interfering harmonics, this thing is giving me a lot of trouble.” 

Ace look over to his partner and asked, “What kind of trouble?” 

“It is resisting my efforts to scan it,” Mal explained, “I can determine that there is data being stored within the structure... Wow. A  _lot_ of data. But I cannot access any of it.”   


Kaizyn, Kaijae, and their ghosts descended the stairs to the lower level. Kaijae still held the crystal, but was no longer staring at it. Kaizyn looked to her ghost and commented, “Do you think you can help Mal?”

In response, Twilin spun its metal shell and glided up to join Mal. The two ghosts danced through the air around the column for several moments before Twilin stopped and turned back to Kaizyn. “It’s no good,” the ghost answered, “The Hive appear to have figured out a way to place a firewall around the data.”

“It will take us quite some time to figure out a way to dismantle the song that is shielding this,” Mal added.

“Wait,” Twilin suddenly announced, “Kaijae. Bring that crystal here.”

The Titan quickly strode up the small flight of stairs to join Ace at the base of the pillar. Kaizyn followed close behind, warily watching for any danger to enter from the next chamber.

“This is it,” Mal announced.

“Yes,” Twilin agreed, “This will give us access. Whoever that Hive Knight was, it was granted the ability to access the data from the World’s Grave. It’s weapon was also a keycard.”

Kaijae chuckled before replying, “Then it’s a good thing I managed to nab it.”

Twilin turned to look at the Titan and replied, “We could have gotten in without it, but yes. The crystal saved us a good chunk of time.”

“That’s good,” Kaizyn murmured, “Time is not on our side here. Let’s speed this up.”

Obviously understanding the accuracy of Kaizyn’s remark, Mal and Twilin immediately went back to scanning the pillar. Zuko moved to join them and all three ghosts were weaving about one another in the air as they encircled the pillar. Ace couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that they managed to avoid colliding with one another.

After a few moments, all three ghosts stopped dancing around the stone and returned to their respective Guardians. Mal spoke first, “There is an indescribable amount of data in there. I swear that the Hive have somehow managed to break the Bekenstein limit.”

“Agreed,” Zuko affirmed, “There is data about worlds and other races on the other side of the universe in there.”

“It is almost like a universe unto itself,” Twilin commented.

“A contemplation for another time,” Mal replied before continuing, “We can get the information that we need regarding Dôl Arnách, but I have a feeling that actually accessing any data will trigger a response.”

“I detected the same thing,” Twilin replied, “We are missing a key harmonic to fully negate the protective barrier.”

Zuko looked down at the crystal in Kaijae’s hand, “I believe that the crystal lost some of its functionality when we destroyed the sword housing it.”

The fireteam looked at one another. After a brief moment, Kaijae commented, “We expected a fight, didn’t we?”

“We would have been idiots not to,” Kaizyn chuckled.

Ace shouldered his rifle and responded, “Do it.”

The alarm triggered was not audible or in any way physically palpable, but Ace had no trouble detecting it. The same pulsating energy that he felt emanating from the World’s Grave suddenly reached a crescendo as a wave of power washed over the Guardians. Hive glyphs, carved into the walls and over the doorways, suddenly flared to life with an unearthly green light. The Hunter watched as the air in the entryways began to shimmer and then darken. He could no longer see through to the chamber beyond.

Mal’s voice came through the comm link, “I’m sorry, Ace, but this is going to take time. There’s just so much data to sort through. And it is literally impossible to download it all.”

Kaijae, with his Eyasluna aimed at one of the blackened doorway, replied calmly, “We will buy you as much time as you need.”

Kaizyn, similarly prepared with her Shadow Price, added, “Do please be quick, though. I do not think the welcoming committee will be pleased to see us.”

Ace considered making a witty quip of his own, but a shrill cry from the blackness drew his focus. The Hung Jury pressed to his should was prepared for whatever came through the portal.

With shrieks of rage, a dozen spindly Thralls came rushing out of the two entryways. The waiting Guardians were more than ready and none of the Thralls managed more than a handful of steps down the staircase. The fireteam remained on guard and continued to aim their weapons at the portals.

They were not at all surprised when a second, slightly larger, group of Thralls charged into the chamber. This time, however, Acolytes charged through the portals behind them. The Hive soldiers were armed with shredders and they took up defensive positions behind the support pillars that stood around the nearest half of the room. The team was able to dispatch most of the Thrall before the Acolytes opened fire.

The Guardians moved back a couple meters, using the World’s Grave itself as cover from the incoming fire. Kaijae allowed himself to remain exposed a little longer than the other two as he took the time to finish off the last pair of Thralls that had descended to the bottom floor. For his trouble, the Titan received a handful of Acolyte shredder shots that tore small holes into his energy barrier.

Ace managed to eliminate a couple of the Hive soldiers as they failed to get to cover in time. Kaizyn channeled her Light and threw a grenade across the room to land behind the balcony. As four Acolytes cried out in pain, fire composed of Void energy consuming them, even more enemies came running through the portals. Ace was unable to keep track of the number of opponents in the room with them.

Despite the large number of Hive opposing them, the Guardians were able to do an excellent job of controlling the field. Kaijae destroyed any enemies that managed to make it to the floor as Ace picked off some of those who failed to find cover on the balcony. Kaizyn divided her efforts between assisting the two, mainly covering for whoever needed to reload their weapon. It only took a minute for the three to find a rhythm, but it was a rhythm that came from practice and familiarity.

As Hive continued to madly rush into the room, Ace was unable to pay attention to what came through the portals. Instead, he had to focus on opportunities to destroy any of the Acolytes that left cover so that they could fire upon the team. As such, the Hunter did not notice the much larger shape step through the blackness. As Ace dispatched a Hive soldier with a pair of well placed shots, the sound of laughter filled the chamber. All three Guardians looked up, to the rightmost section of the balcony, to see a familiar Knight stand defiantly out in the open.

Crag’noth. His left arm appeared to hang limp at his side while his right arm wielded a massive Hive boomer. As soon as the Knight noticed that he had been seen, he raised the heavy weapon overhead and bellowed a challenge.

Kaijae’s voice filled the comm link. “Shit.”

Ace concurred as he scrambled to get behind the column, seeking cover from a large ball of Arc energy that the boomer had just launched. The missile struck the ground in the exact place he had just been standing, energy splashing outward from the impact point to eat away at the Hunter’s energy shield. Some of the Arc power managed to pass through, enough to cause his muscles to seize up momentarily.

Ace shook off the disorientation and slipped further behind the pillar. He called out over the gunfire, “I need to recharge my shield!”

He did not want to face that boomer without a full energy shield. Ace had a strong feeling that doing so was a quick way to die. His barrier had already taken some damage from the Acolyte shredders, but not very much. The fact that an indirect energy blast from the Knight’s heavy weapon was enough to physically damage him through the remainder of his shield was testament to its power.

From his vantage point, Ace was still able to target the Acolytes and Thrall charging the left stairway. He quickly began eliminating those enemies, giving his Titan companions opportunity to focus on Crag’noth.

While reloading his weapon, Ace glanced up in time to see Kaijae take a direct hit from Crag’noth’s boomer. The explosion of Arc energy threw the Titan backward, several meters, to stagger into the wall. Kaizyn had managed to dive to the left, away from the Hunter and further out into the open, to avoid taking any damage from the attack. Ace was about to rush over to assist Kaijae, certain that the Titan had been incapacitated by such a blast, but Kaijae stubbornly stood back up. The primary, surface metal plate of his chest plate had been flash-melted at the moment of impact. It was obvious that the Titan’s energy shield had been obliterated.

Ace looked from Kaijae to Kaizyn. She was also rising to her feet, no apparent damage taken from the nearby blast, but she was now the focal point for all of the Acolytes and Thrall charging down the stairs, only a couple meters away. And Crag’noth was taking aim.

Maneuvering the large boomer with only one functional arm was apparently difficult for the Hive warrior. His attacks were slow and measured. But they were devastating and the Knight managed a precise accuracy. Kaizyn was far too exposed to be able to similarly avoid another missile.

Ace sprinted out from behind the column and leapt up into the air. Turning in the air to face the powerful Knight, the Nightstalker released his hold on the largest pool of Void energy within, summoning forth the Shadowshot bow. Still hanging impossibly in midair, before any of the Hive in the room could react, Ace fired the Void arrow at the Knight.

Struck squarely in the chest, Crag’noth staggered under the force of blow. A moment later, the arrow blossomed into a dozen tendrils of Void energy that latched onto the Acolytes and Thrall in the Knight’s vicinity. All of the afflicted Hive lurched and stumbled as they felt the negative energy of the Void leech at their life force. The lesser of them futilely attempted to ward off the tethers with clawed hands.

Upon seeing the Nightstalker use his Shadowshot, Kaizyn summoned a freshly charged grenade into existence and lobbed it at the disoriented mob of Hive. The female Titan hadn’t taken time to aim for a particular target as she was scrambling to get back to cover. The Void explosive landed on the floor at the feet of a pair of Acolytes before erupting into a small wall of black fire. Thanks to the debilitating effect of the Shadowshot, the grenade’s flame utterly destroyed the two Hive before they could escape the fire.

The tether also shared a portion of the grenade’s energies to the rest of the affected enemies. The significantly weaker Thrall were unable to withstand the onslaught and also fell. Crag’noth, however,appeared mostly unaffected. He was disoriented by the tendril of Void power that tethered him to the anchor, but the Knight showed absolutely no indication that he had been actually harmed by any of the energies being imparted.

Kaijae watched the Knight ignore the grenade for a moment as he finished regaining his balance. The male Titan let his hand cannon fall from his grasp as a machine gun materialized to replace it. “Then how about this?” Kaijae growled as he aimed the Bonekruscher at the large Hive warrior.

Noticing that his companion was far too exposed, standing in full view of the entire entrance balcony, Ace swapped his Hung Jury for the Conspiracy Theory on his back and rushed the stairway. With his Shadowshot tangling up everything on the right side of the balcony and that staircase, the left half was all that the Hunter needed to worry about. A trio of Thrall had managed to make the bottom landing in the few moments that the Guardians had spent focused on Crag’noth. Ace squeezed the trigger once, racked a new shell into the chamber, fired again, and then laid the third Thrall low with a quick slam from the buttstock. Before it could recover, the Hunter loaded a new shell with a swift slide of the fore-end and fired.

As the second Thrall was dispatched by Ace, Kaijae opened fire. The machine gun’s roar filled the chamber with a deafening thunder. Even though the rounds unleashed from the Bonekruscher’s barrel came at a measured pace, the stone room reflected all sound back at the fire team. The Titan focused his weapon solely on Crag’noth. Thanks to the shared damage effect of the Shadowshot, Kaijae managed to eliminate all of the Hive close enough to the Knight to be tethered to the warrior.

Seeing that his path back to cover behind the pillar was now cut off by the stream of machine gun fire, Ace opted to push forward. It was the only path left open. Besides, the Hunter still had three more shells in the tube. 


	17. Chapter 17

There was no lack of enemies awaiting Ace at the top of the stairway. The handful of Acolytes grouped up behind the nearest support pillar appeared honestly shocked to see the Guardian leap up to their level. Three of the soldiers wound up tripping over one another in their confused surprise. The other two Acolytes had the presence of mind to immediately bring their shredders to bear. Ace knew who to spend two of his remaining shells on. The third shell went to the Hive soldier that was too slow to get more than a couple steps from the fray.

Returning the Conspiracy Theory-D to his magnetic holster, Ace retrieved the Hung Jury rifle. As he readied the weapon, both of the remaining Acolytes unexpectedly collapsed. Ace looked to his right and saw Kaizyn slightly lower her auto rifle as she turned to find more targets. The Hunter then looked to Kaijae in time to see the Titan lower his weapon and open the receiver. Belt links and empty casings, all that remained of the current magazine, littered the floor at his feet. Ace looked away as a blue flash preceded the materialization of a fresh magazine.

Crumpled Hive bodies, some already beginning to disintegrate into ash, littered the balcony floor. The Void anchor from the Nightstalker’s Shadowshot had just disappeared as there were no new enemies to leech power from. Only Crag’noth remained, still standing defiantly out in the open, at the edge of the platform. Ace could easily spot several large chunks torn away from the Hive warrior’s chitinous armor. The right side of the Knight’s helm had been almost destroyed, the “horn” that swept away from the face was missing. The Hunter didn’t waste any more time; if there were no other Hive in the room, it was time to deal with Crag’noth. Kaizyn opened fire a breath before Ace. Kaijae fed the first round of a new belt into his weapon’s receiver.

Ace spared a fleeting thought about the possible efficacy of using his scout rifle against the armor of the towering warrior. What effect could such minor munitions have? His doubts tripled as he saw the Knight grin menacingly. Freed from the effects of the Void tether, Crag’noth was able to move freely once more.

Before Kaijae could finish loading his Bonekruscher, the Knight summoned a wall of darkness between itself and the pair of Titans standing on the World’s Grave dias. Ace continued to fire, even as he tried to figure out what the Hive warrior was up to. The wall of darkness that the Hive has summoned was impenetrable; every shot fired from that direction was deflected. The Hunter considered asking Mal what the Knight was doing, but then remembered that the ghost was busy trying to gather the information that they needed. He resisted the temptation to look and check on the trio of ghosts. They would notify the Guardians when they were finished.

Crag’noth’s barricade appeared to require focus in order to be maintained; the Knight stood motionless behind the black wall. Ace sensed a reprieve and decided to swap back to his shotgun. Mal wouldn’t be able to complete the task of retrieving the data if they were dead.

“ _ Mal! Shotgun ammo! _ ” Ace commanded with a mental shout. The Hunter immediately felt shells materialize into his empty hand. He wasted no time feeding the ammunition into the weapon’s magazine tube, finishing with a fore-end slide to chamber a fresh shell.

“Ace!” Kaijae’s called out over the comm link, “What is he doing?” The Hunter looked up from his shotgun to notice that the chamber had darkened. Alarmed, Ace looked back to Crag’noth.

The Knight had dropped his boomer to the floor and held his now-empty hand out, palm up, in front of himself. The barricade still stood, hanging in the air between the warrior and the Titans. Ace took a step forward, raising the shotgun to ready position. As he did, the Hunter was able to see a small ball of blackness unfold in the space above Crag’noth’s hand. The chamber darkened even more.

“Ace!” Twilin’s voice filled his helmet, “Stop him!”

“He’s going to open another gate!” Zuko cried out.

Ace rushed forward, closing the distance as quickly as possible. He was too far away for his Conspiracy Theory be effective. As he ran, the Hunter summoned a Void grenade and hurled it. The charge erupted into a small vortex of negative power at the Knight’s feet, bleeding out more of the Hive’s life energy. Crag’noth ignored the attack.

The Hunter arrived a second later and raised the shotgun to chest level. With a pull of the trigger, from only a meter away, Ace blew a large chunk of chitin away, revealing the flesh within. Sliding a fresh shell into the receiver with a swift pump action, the Hunter fired again. More chitin flew away, but so did Hive blood. Crag’noth ignored the attack.

Almost stunned by the Knight’s refusal to react to his attacks, Ace hesitated for the briefest moment. Confusion was almost immediately replaced with outrage. The Guardian knew that his attacks were affecting the Hive warrior. The blood seeping from the wound in its chest was testament to that fact. Ace racked yet another fresh shell and fired. No chitinous armor flew away this time, only more blood.

Crag’noth turned his head to look down at the Hunter. Ace’s robotic grin, hidden behind his helmet, almost disappeared as he noticed that the Knight had begun to chuckle. The Nightstalker had managed to elicit a response and he knew that he had managed to hurt his enemy. Ace ejected the empty shotgun shell and replaced it with a live one with another smooth slide action.

Before the Hunter could fire a fourth time, Crag’noth abruptly turned and delivered a suddenly kick. Ace had become so used to the Knight’s slower, more deliberate movements from earlier, that he was unprepared for the swift blow. The kick caught the smaller Guardian in the right side, sending him to slam into the wall on his left. Angry with himself for being caught off guard, Ace quickly regained his feet and readied his gun once again.

“Ace!” Zuko called out.

“Too late!” Twilin shouted over the other ghost.

Crag’noth had been given all the time that he needed. The barricade dissipated as the Knight raised the ball of darkness up above its head. Ace noted that Kaijae had managed to climb the nearer staircase, opposite from where he had ascended, during the short exchange, yet he was still a few meters away and unable to stop whatever what was about to transpire. The Hunter knew that it was futile, but he tried to get close enough to attack once more.

Crag’noth hurled the ball at the floor, releasing a tremendous wave of energy. The force of it threw Ace back against to the wall yet again, disorienting the Hunter and tearing a significant portion of his energy barrier away. He could see where the damage to his shields caused energy to bleed into the visible spectrum of light; it appeared that fully half of his body was unshielded after the impact.

As a pair of armored hands helped him off the floor, Ace heard Kaizyn mutter, “Damn it, Ace, quit falling down.”

The Hunter didn’t have the energy to muster an appropriate response. Instead, he looked back to the Knight to see the Hive warrior kneel down and retrieve its boomer. Ace snatched his own weapon back off the floor as well and took a step forward, only to be stopped abruptly as the floor began to shake. Looking down, the Hunter noticed that a faint ring of dark power had appeared on the floor, encircling Crag’noth. An eerie, green mist rose from the floor within the ring.

“What’s happening?” Kaizyn called out in alarm.

“You think I know?” Kaijae responded as he slowly backed away from the dark ring.

“Maybe there’s time to stop him!” Ace shouted and started to move again.

Crag’noth turned and quickly fired the boomer.

It wasn’t a direct hit. But since they were only a few meters apart, the Knight didn’t need to bother with aiming. The Hunter could not avoid the attack was guaranteed to be within range of the explosion. As it was, the missile landed at Ace’s feet. The detonation threw him backward, into Kaizyn, who managed to prevent him from falling yet again.

Searing pain shot up his left leg. Ace looked down to see that the Arc energy had burned through the unshielded armor, melting carbon fiber and plasteel all the way down to his Exomind chassis. From his hip to his ankle, Ace’s left leg was dotted with such damage.

Kaizyn, accidentally shielded from the explosion by Ace’s body, was mostly unaffected by the blast. She firmly pushed Ace to one side so that she could step in front of the Hunter. The Titan raised her rifle and opened fire. Ace noticed that she was trying her best to keep centered on the area where he had obliterated the armor.

Ace knew better than to attempt to get back in range with his shotgun. He would not survive another attack at close range. He pulled out his scout rifle and took aim.

A thunderous roar seemed to fill the chamber. Ace lowered the rifle and looked about, “What was that?”

The mist had gathered and coalesced into a giant version of the other portals in the room. Crag’noth turned to face the gate and roared a command. A moment later, a massive leg came through the doorway, followed by a clawed fist. Before Ace could register what was happening, the Hive monstrosity was suddenly in the chamber with them. He had never witnessed anything like it before. This Hive was unarmored and pale, much like a Thrall, but magnitudes larger. Where a Thrall was spindly and seemed almost frail, this thing was a lumbering beast of overwhelming strength.

“Ogre!” Kaizyn screamed, “Get to cover!”

She spun around and grabbed Ace’s upper arm, pulling him in retreat as she rushed back to the stairway. The Hunter quickly followed, trusting the Guardian with more experience. The two had managed to reach the midpoint of the stairs before the Ogre unleashed its attack.

Kaijae had almost reached the column where their ghosts still worked on plumbing the World’s Grave. A surge of Void energy slammed into the Titan. Ace looked over to the Ogre to see a wide beam of power pour out from the space where it’s eyes should be. The energy crashed unrelentingly into the Titan in waves. Kaijae stumbled under the force of the first blow and fell when the second wave smashed into him. His energy shields were struggling to recharge as the physical damage to his armor interfered with their functionality. Kaijae lost consciousness with the third wave.

Kaizyn arrived at his side a moment later. She stepped into the energy beam and unleashed her power, manifesting a dome of Void power around herself and her love. Ace raced to the pillar and the ghosts working in the corner. Without any warning, the Hunter snatched Zuko from out of the air and continued running. Before the ghost could respond, Ace came around the other side of the column, where the Ward of Dawn rose to protect the pair of Titans.

Ghost still in hand, the Hunter dove forward in a roll to cover the final distance to reach the Ward’s protection. Ace released Zuko over Kaijae’s prone body. The Titan was still breathing, but only barely. “Get him back up!” Ace shouted.

Zuko didn’t waste any time. Ace felt the link to his own Light become established between Zuko and then to Kaijae. A couple seconds later, the Titan disappeared from the floor and then rematerialized on his feet.

“Thanks, Zuko,” Kaijae commented, “Now go back and help the others.”


	18. Chapter 18

The Ogre appeared to be enraged by the appearance of Kaizyn’s Ward of Dawn. At first, the monster focused its eye blast at the dome of Void power shielding the three Guardians. However, as soon as it became apparent that the attack was not affecting the Lightbearers, the behemoth bellowed a roar of frustration and strode to the edge of the balcony. Dropping down to the bottom level, the Ogre raised both fists to slam against the dome. The force of the impact shook the floor below the Guardians.

“How do we kill that?” Ace’s voice trembled slightly with frightened awe.

“See the glowing spot in its face? That is where the blast comes from. It  is  its eyes and the only weak spot,” Kaizyn explained.

Ace shook his head, “But how do we hit something like that? If we can shoot it, then it can see us and just blast us right back.”

Another thunderous slam on the dome caused a minor tremor. Ace didn’t have to ask Kaizyn to know that the Ward of Dawn would not last much longer. The female Titan was one of the best at Void power manipulation; her Wards seemed to last longer than that of any other Sentinel Ace had worked with, but there was always a limit to how much a Ward of Dawn could absorb. This Hive behemoth had to be pushing Kaizyn’s limit.

“Like this,” Kaijae growled as he strode forward, past the others.

Ace watched as the male Titan’s body practically exploded with Arc power. Launching himself across the Ward of Dawn’s threshold, Kaijae’s Fist of Havoc slammed the ground at the Ogre’s feet. Ribbons of Arc energy surged from the ground into the Hive, briefly stunning it. Without pause, the Striker began punching the monster in the hip and thigh. A clap of thunder and flash of lightning accompanied every blow.

Realizing that he was wasting time, Ace quickly rushed out to join his companion. Moving to the side so that he would not get in the way of Kaijae’s savage attacks, Ace found the glowing spot of light within the membrane that formed the majority of the Ogre’s face. 

Despite the fact that Kaijae was only a mere one third of the beast’s size, his attacks caused the Hive monstrosity to stagger to one side. In that moment, the Ogre stopped moving long enough for Ace to get a clean shot. Four quick pulls of the trigger and all four rounds found the target. Then a loud retort from beside Ace startled the Hunter. He spun around to see Kaizyn knelt on the floor, wielding her LDR 5001, supporting her forward arm on a raised knee for precise aim. Another roar of fury informed Ace that Kaizyn’s sniper round had found its target.

The Hunter turned back to the Ogre as Kaijae began backing away, his Fist of Havoc played out and spent. The behemoth stood back up from the stagger and looked down at the Titan. In that moment, Kaizyn fired again. The howl of pain was loud enough make even Ace flinch. Kaizyn had not been exaggerating about the beast’s weak spot.

“Jae!” Ace called out over the sound of the Ogre’s roar, “Get out of there!”

Ignoring the Hunter, Kaijae reached for the shotgun on his back. To Ace’s amazement, the Titan strode forward, toward the enraged Ogre. Before the Hunter could ask what he thought he was doing, Kaijae hurled his pulse grenade at the monster’s chest. The Titan then raised his shotgun.

Ace realized the only thing to do at this point was help his companions eliminate the Ogre. Kaizyn’s sniper fire was perfectly timed; she would not allow the monster to gain its bearings. As soon as it did, she put another hole in the membrane covering its sensitive eye. Ace considered switching weapons and rushing the beast with Kaijae, but changed his mind. The memory of Crag’noth tearing his leg out was fresh enough in the Hunter’s mind to keep him far away from a Hive that large. Ace knew that the scout rifle may not deal much damage, but he figured that anything was better than nothing, so his Hung Jury rang out with Kaizyn’s LDR.

But it was Kaijae that unleashed a fury that surprised his companions. Between the pulse grenade and the relentless gunfire from the other two Guardians, the Ogre was unable to respond in kind to any attack. The first shell from Felwinter’s Lie caught the behemoth in the chin. The second shell struck it in the chest. Then the Hive roared in outrage at a sniper blow from Kaizyn. Kaijae took careful aim and fired directly into the Ogre’s mouth.

The savage attack caused the beast stumble backward a couple steps before falling onto its back. The Titan simply walked up onto its chest as he racked a fresh shell into the shotgun’s chamber. The Ogre, panic settling in, tried to swipe at the Guardian, but the Titan leapt over the clumsy attack. While Kaijae floated in the air, the Hive monster focused its eye on the Titan and unleashed a Void energy blast.

Kaijae accepted the attack. He even chuckled softly as the glowing weak point moved into clear view. As the initial wave of energy tore into his barrier, the Titan lowered the barrel of Felwinter’s Lie and fired again. The energy beam ended abruptly and the Ogre stopped thrashing. Kaijae dropped from the air and fired twice more.

Ace slowly lowered his rifle as he considered what he had just witnessed. He was relieved that the behemoth was destroyed, but he had never seen the Titan act with such ruthlessness.

“Jae! Move!” Kaizyn shouted.

Crag’noth, blocked from view by the towering Ogre, now stood out in the open once more. The Knight had his boomer leveled at the Titan. Kaijae turned quickly, bracing himself for the expected attack. As the boomer launched another Arc energy projectile, Kaizyn’s sniper rifle sang out once again.

Kaijae tried to dodge the incoming missile, but he was too close to avoid the explosion. The force of the blast knocked the Titan to the floor while Kaizyn’s bullet struck Crag’noth’s chitin helmet.

“ _Mal. Thunderlord_. ” Ace began moving even as the weight of the heavy weapon filled his waiting hands. The Hunter sprinted up the stairs to return to the balcony level. The smaller portals had disappeared when Crag’noth created the larger one to summon the Ogre. There would be no more reinforcements for the Knight.

Crag’noth turned toward Kaizyn, angered by that latest attack. Ace was pretty sure that he heard her giggle when she saw the Knight focus on her. Realizing the kind of odds arrayed against the Knight, the Hunter was able to see the humor. Crag’noth had played his trump card and Kaijae had destroyed it. Now the Knight stood alone against the three Guardians. Ace raised the Thunderlord and opened fire. From the floor below, Kaijae followed suit with his Bonekruscher. Kaizyn ignored the boomer’s projectile as she fired her LDR one last time.

Crag’noth fell under the overwhelming force of the combined attacks. The damage previously dealt to the Knight’s armor created too many openings in the warrior’s defense. Ace and Kaijae’s machine gun fire focused on the opening in the chest plate. But it was when Kaizyn’s LDR found the destroyed half of the Knight’s helm that it finally fell.

Ace lowered the Thunderlord as he watched warily for any movement from the Hive warrior. The Hunter was ready to begin firing once more at the slightest movement. Kaijae swapped back to his Felwinter’s Lie. The Titan began reloading the shotgun as he strode up the staircase. He crossed the short distance to where Crag’noth lay on the floor and fired twice. “Just making sure,” Kaijae commented before collapsing to sit on the floor.

Realizing that he, too, felt exhausted, Ace moved over to the wall and let himself slide to the floor. “Exominds are practically just robots with a human mind inside. Why in the  _ hell _ do I feel  _ tired _ ?” he suddenly shouted.

Kaizyn and Kaijae both responded with laughter. After a couple seconds, Kaizyn stood up and chided, “Just because we killed that beast doesn’t mean we are safe. There’s still the matter of the small army above us.”

“Damn,” Kaijae groaned, “What are the odds that half of them aren’t already on their way down here?”

Ace stood up and began descending the stairs to join Kaizyn. “Maybe that would be for the best,” he quipped, “We only have to deal with half now and then the other half on our way out!”

“Actually, that may be unnecessary,” Zuko called out from behind the World’s Grave column.

Kaijae finally stood up as he asked, “What did you find, buddy?”

Ace could swear that the ghost attempted an eye roll as it answered, “I think I found data regarding the interference frequency preventing our connection to our jumpships.”

“That would be great news,” Kaizyn’s voice was edged with excitement.

As Ace arrived upon the pillar’s dias, he looked to Mal, “What about the Wizard?”

Twilin paused its scanning and turned to the Hunter, “I think we are almost there. Mal has found a thread of data that is promising. He is chasing it now.”

“Hey guys,” Kaijae called out as he hurried down from the platform, “We do have more company coming. Check your radar.”

With a heavy sigh, Ace unslung the Hung Jury; he had already dismissed the machine gun to be stored away by Mal. The Hunter checked the scout rifle’s magazine to ensure that it was freshly loaded. He could hear Kaizyn doing the same with her Shadow Price.

As Kaijae joined the other two Guardians, Zuko cried out triumphantly, “I got through the interference! I can reach the ships!”

Sliding the last shell into the magazine tube of his Felwinter’s Lie before swapping to his Eyasluna, Kaijae replied, “That’s great news. At least we can get out of here when we need to.”

“Correct! However, I don’t think we can transmat back into here,” Zuko continued, “We would need a beacon. If we leave, we would have to take the long way.”

“Then we stay until Twilin and Mal finish,” Kaizyn stated firmly.

Seeing the small ghost look down at the floor, deflated, Ace chimed in, “Still, it’s great to know that we have a quick way out once we  are ready to go.”

“They’re here,” Kaijae interrupted.

As if waiting for that cue, a handful of Thrall and Acolytes came rushing into the room from the leftmost doorway, followed shortly after by several more. The three Guardians found themselves falling into the same rhythm that they had before. Ace eliminated most of the Acolytes with precise shots while Kaijae dealt with anything that managed to make it to the bottom level of the chamber. And Kaizyn assisted them both whenever she saw an opportunity.

After only a couple minutes, Mal suddenly cried out, “I got it!” while Twilin simultaneously shouted, “He did it!”

“Thank goodness,” Ace managed to mutter through gritted teeth.

“Get us out of here, guys,” Kaizyn instructed.

A moment later, Ace found himself sitting in the cockpit of his Waning Star, blinking away the afterimage of the transmat flash. The Hunter unbuckled the clasp that sealed his helmet closed and removed it. Despite the lack of real lungs, Ace allowed himself to perform the approximation of taking a deep breath of fresher air. He even managed to enjoy the sensation. At least his olfactory senses were able to honestly appreciate the non-recycled air.

Looking to the side, Ace spotted Mal hovering over one of the ship’s terminals. “All right, what did you find?”

“I am uploading the information now,” the ghost answered, “I didn’t have time to really parse through it. I just grabbed hold of anything at all that seemed related to Dôl Arnách.”

“Good call,” Ace replied, “I think we all were low on ammo.”

“We could have synthe-”

“You three were busy getting this data,” Ace interrupted with a bark of laughter.

“Excellent point,” Mal conceded, “Well, I grabbed a lot of information. It is going to take me a while to sort out the unimportant or irrelevant stuff.”

“That’s fine. We have time to spare now that we are out of there.”

A flashing message indicator caught the Hunter’s attention as Kaijae’s voice came through the ship’s comm speaker, “Hey, Ace, you should have a message waiting. We all do.”

Mal turned to look at the illuminated panel as well as the ghost commented, “That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”


	19. Chapter 19

“ _Guardians. There are no sanctioned missions to the Moon at this time. Return to the Tower at once_.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Kaizyn commented, “Zavala sounds pissed.”

“He’s not mad,” Kaijae replied, “He’s just disappointed.”

Ace chuckled a bit at that before stating, “We knew that we would likely get in trouble for this. Might as well head back and take our lumps while our ghosts go through the data.”

Kaizyn’s heavy sigh carried over the comm link before she answered, “You’re right. Wasn’t there a pre-Golden Age saying about bandages for this kind of thing?”

Ace laughed, “I wouldn’t know. Exos require an arc welder and a soldering iron when we need repair.”

“Honestly, what kind of trouble can we actually get in?” Kaijae suddenly asked.

Ace stopped laughing and answered, “Zavala could ground our ships. He can instruct Holliday to refuse to sell us any fuel.”

That sobered the two Titans and they fell silent. After a moment, Kaijae finally spoke back up, “My ship’s drive is ready. You guys good to go?”

“Yeah. Let’s get this over with.” All three jumpships activated their NLS drive at the same time.

A couple hours later, the fire team found themselves standing in front of the three Vanguard leaders. Zavala began, “You three should not have taken it upon yourselves to venture so deep into Hive controlled territory on the Moon. There is a reason why only sanctioned strike teams are sent up there.”

Ikora spoke up, “If you three had gotten into any kind of serious trouble, there would be no way to know to organize any kind of rescue or support efforts. As it was, we were about to have Cayde send scouts to ascertain the status of your team when we finally heard back from you.”

“Don’t worry,” Cayde interjected, “my guys wouldn’t have gotten in your way. You wouldn’t have even known they were there.”

Ikora ignored the interruption, “When it comes to the Hive, every Guardian death means more than simply losing one of our ranks.”

“Indeed. A Guardian lost at the hands of the Hive means an increase in their power,” Zavala added, “This does not mean that the Vanguard is not without sympathy for you three. Each one of us has lost friends and understands the desire to retaliate against those who took away someone we care about.”

“What he means,” Cayde interrupted again, “he’s not mad, he’s just disappointed.”

Ace and Kaizyn both stifled their chuckles. Kaijae couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “That’s what I said.” 

Cayde grinned and aimed a thumb up at the Titan.

Zavala continued, ignoring the exchange, “Revenge takes us to places we would not normally tread. It makes us blind to dangers we would normally avoid. And, as Ikora has said, the risk to us all is exponential when dealing with the Hive.”

All three Guardians fidgeted with guilt under the stern gaze of the Titan Vanguard leader. His words struck a chord within each one of them as the obvious truth rang out. Ace managed to feel a nonexistent heat rise in his face and was grateful that his Exomind chassis was incapable of demonstrating the flushed coloration in the face that accompanied feelings of shame. 

Ikora allowed the Guardians to absorb Zavala’s words before speaking up once more, “As it is, your venture into the Hive fortress presents an opportunity that cannot be overlooked. We know from your ships’ orbital position that you were near the Temple of Crota.”

Ace saw no reason to deny this fact.

“Please summon your ghosts,” Ikora instructed, “We have as many questions for them as well as you three.”

The next four hours were spent answering those questions. Ikora and Zavala inquired about the Hive interference field that hindered their connection to the Light. Ikora attempted to glean insight regarding the World’s Grave and did a poor job of hiding her disappointment when the ghosts were unable to explain how the Hive managed to break the Bekenstein Limit. Zavala focused on the structure of the fortress, especially the lower areas that had never been visited by humanity. Cayde essentially stood by the entrance and sent away any Guardians or other visitors.

With one final gentle admonishing against seeking further vengeance, Zavala dismissed the team. Cayde fired off a parting joke as they passed him on their way out of the meeting chamber, but all three were too mentally exhausted to register the joke.

Watching the team ascend the final staircase to the courtyard, Ikora quietly commented, “They will continue to hunt the Wizard.”

“I know they will,” Zavala replied, “Devotion is a trait all Guardians share. They are devoted to the memory of their friend and that will drive them to chase his killer to the ends of the universe.”

“Of course they will,” Cayde stated as he sauntered back to his regular position at the table, “I just hope that they don’t have to go  _ all _ the way there. The end of the universe is actually a really boring place.”

Ikora rolled her eyes before turning to face the Titan, “Then why waste the time and energy with words. You could stop them from leaving the Tower and put an end to their self-assigned mission.”

Zavala smiled at the Warlock as he answered, “Because that Wizard-“

“Dôl Arnách,” Ikora supplied. 

“-needs to be destroyed. That team already has more information than we do and has the motivation. I need them to act with caution. I cannot have them charging about recklessly.”

“What did I do?” Cayde asked, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Cayde, please,” Ikora looked back to Zavala, “What about backup?”

The Vanguard Commander considered his words before answering, “This is not the first time we have sent a team on a mission with such a high risk factor. But those three will be the most motivated fireteam we could ever possibly muster for this mission.”

“Besides, now they know the stakes,” Cayde’s tone had become serious, “They know for certain that they’re on their own out there.”

“The both of you two are reckless fools.”

Zavala and Cayde exchanged smiles. 

—————

As the three Guardians arrived at the Tower courtyard, Ace commented, “You two hungry? I could use a bite to eat.”

Kaijae chuckled, “I scarfed a couple rations as soon as we got back to our ships.”

“I am tired of rations, I want real food,” Ace groaned, “I’ll buy dinner.”

“I didn’t say that I couldn’t eat, but now that you are offering,” Kaijae ended with a hearty laugh.

“Normally, I would say that we should discuss what just happened in there with the commanders,” Kaizyn began, “but I am famished.”

“I plan on discussing it, but I want food first,” Ace replied.

“Cafeteria level? Or do you guys want to go down to the City?”

Kaijae chuckled, “Ace’s call. It’s his Glimmer we’re spending.”

The Hunter considered for a moment before answering, “City. There’s a pub that Gregory told me about. I want a beer and they give Guardians a discount.”

A quick transmaterialization later, the three Guardians found themselves standing in front of a large building. Through one of the giant windows that comprised the face of the structure, Ace could see a pair of large brewer’s vats. In the next window, he spotted several tables sitting in front of a bar. The Hunter hurried to the door and strode in.

The sound of music greeted their arrival as the three stepped into the pub. There were a dozen tables in the space with a full third in use. The bar ran the full length of the far wall, just long enough for a couple dozen stools, half of which were occupied. Behind the bar, several shelves were home to a wide variety of bottles. A false wall to their right divided the bar area from the brewery. The Titans followed the Hunter to an empty table next to the right hand wall.

As the three settled into their seats, a female voice called out, “If it isn’t fireteam ‘Aceholes’.”

As one, all three Guardians turned to see another trio, Titan, Warlock, and Hunter, stand up from an adjacent table. The Exo Titan stepped forward as Ace replied, “Lily-5. How are you guys doing?”

“Wait,” Kaijae interrupted, “What do you guys mean, ‘Team Aceholes’? That implies Ace is our leader. I didn’t agree to this. Why can’t we be ‘Team Jaehole’ or something?”

Kaizyn sighed with a shake of her head, “I’m sorry, love, but that’s somehow even worse because it actually makes even less sense. ‘Aceholes’ is at least somewhat clever.”

Deflated, Kaijae muttered “Whatever. All that matters is that everyone knows that the real brains behind this team is-“

“Kaizyn,” Ace interrupted. Kaizyn used a hand to cover her giggle as Ace continued, “How are you all doing? Haven’t seen you since Jae here smashed you three into Oblivion over on Exodus Blue.”

“Told you two to let me capture the point on my own,” the Human Hunter, a female with a shock of bright red hair peeking out from under the hood of her cloak, muttered to the Warlock.

Kaizyn nodded to the Hunter, “You should have listened to Meghara.”

Ace then looked to the Human Warlock and smiled, “How are you, Reece? Still cleaning up after Lily in the Crucible?”

The tall male Warlock just shrugged in response. Meghara chuckled as she clapped him on the shoulder before wagging a finger at Kaijae, “Just consider yourself lucky that Ace had us chasing shadows with that damned Shadestep of his. If Reece had seen you coming, he was going to Nova Bomb you out of the arena, Fist of Havoc or not.”

Lily-5 held up a hand to quiet the Hunter, “I’m not interested in trading jibes about a pointless Crucible match.”

“‘Pointless’ only because they lost,” Kaijae whispered quietly enough that only Ace heard the comment.

“I’m more interested in what you did that landed you in hot water with the Commander,” Lily-5 finished.

“So, you want to gossip?” Kaizyn asked.

“Well, yeah,” the impulsive Meghara blurted, “If you guys are on the trail of a Golden Age treasure trove, we wanna tag along. We saw you guys getting the third degree before Cayde kick us out.”

Ace shook his head as he replied, “It’s nothing like that. We just stuck our noses in a Hive den without permission.”

Reece turned his head sharply to look at Ace, “Because of Deoxys?”

Ace considered telling them the complete truth. These three had once held the same kind of friendly rivalry with Deo as well. It was fifty percent bluster and fifty percent grudging respect. If he asked, these three would join them on their mission. But the same unknown danger of this task made him pause. There would be no rescue or backup for anyone that came along.

“Yeah. We decided to go kick in a few teeth,” Ace decided he didn’t feel comfortable putting any more Guardians at risk, “You know how it is. They kill one of us so we went and wiped out a small Army on the Moon.”

Lily-5 snickered, “The Moon? You’d need to wipe out a few dozen armies to put a dent in their forces up there.”

Kaijae shrugged, “Well, it was only the three of us and Ace ran out of ammo half way through.”

“Did you get it out of your system?” Meghara chimed in, “If not, give us a shout the next time you head up,” she ended with a wink at Kaijae. The Hunter ignored the quick glare Kaizyn shot her way.

Reece then turned to speak to his companions, “Lily, our next match is set to start in a few minutes. We need to go.”

“Meghara‘s right. If you three decide to kick it up with some more Hive again, let us know. Deo was a good guy. I don’t know why he hung around you lot so much,” Lily-5 then turned about and began walking to the door. She paused to leave a cube of Glimmer on their table.

Reece gave a nod of farewell while Meghara offered a friendly wave before the two joined their Titan. A young human waitress, who had been waiting for the exchange to finish, hurriedly set glasses of fresh water and menus in front of the three Guardians. Ace thanked the young girl and waited for her to depart before speaking again.

“Did either of you find anything odd about our meeting with the Vanguard commanders,” Ace asked.

Kaizyn finished taking a sip of water as Kaijae looked up from his menu. Kaijae’s face was painted with confusion as he responded, “What do you mean?”

“Yeah, I was surprised that they didn’t instruct us to hand over the data,” Kaizyn set down her glass and leaned into the back of her chair, “They didn’t want to know  _ what  _ we found.”

“Exactly. They should have demanded that we hand over everything and wipe any copy we made,” Ace explained.

“That is a little weird, but what does it mean? Maybe it slipped their mind,” Kaijae asked.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Ace answered before signaling the waitress to return. They spent the next couple of minutes ordering drinks and food.

“Ace, what do you call that ship of yours?” Kaizyn asked.

“It was originally ‘Chasing Infinity’, but Mal convinced me to rename it ‘Waning Star’ after the incident.”

“What accident? I’ve been meaning to ask about how you got your hands on a ship like that,” Kaijae commented.

“Petra gave me the ship after I saved one of her teams from a Fallen ambush,” Ace began, “We were leaving Mars after completing a scout detail for Cayde when I flew us through a blight.”

“Wait,” Kaijae interrupted, “Oryx has been dead for how long now? How are new blights still being created?”

Ace shook his head wryly, “It wasn’t a new blight. It was on the charts. I just didn’t check the updated one and activated the jump drive. Holliday says that I’m lucky that the gravity waves didn’t tear my ship apart, rather than infusing it with a ton of sterile neutrinos. As it was, the poor thing  was almost torn in half and practically had to limp into the hangar.”

“So,  _ don’t _ try piloting through a blight to create our own fancy ship, gotcha,” Kaizyn laughed, “Why ‘Waning Star’ though?”

“Oh, the glowing portion, where the neutrinos are concentrated most, is shrinking,” Ace answered, “I can’t tell, but Mal says that the neutrino particles are slowly bleeding off and that the glow will fade over time.”

“Ahhh, how poetic,” Kaizyn commented.

Ace shrugged, “I suppose. I don’t really think of Mal like that, but he can have his moments. You should hear him talk about the Fallen.”

Kaijae nodded his head and replied, “I have. He has definitely earned the name you gave him, ‘Malicious’.”

Ace shook his head again, “You guys should have heard Mal talk the first couple decades after he found me. You think he’s bad now?”

The conversation paused at that moment as the waitress returned with food and drinks. Ace reached for his beer first while the two Awoken attacked their food right away. The Exo couldn’t blame them, though, the food smelled delicious. Especially after countless hours on the moon without eating and then simple rations upon returning to their ships. The pasta and white sauce, once he took a bite, tasted as good as it smelled.

Ace had met several Exo’s who struggled to grapple with the dichotomy of their existence. The ones who had the hardest time often were the ones who tried to deny themselves comforts like delicious food and drink because such things were honestly unnecessary for an Exomind to survive. Ace never bothered trying to deny any of the instinctive urges, like hunger or thirst, when they came to him. Mal theorized that this was why he had never felt the need to Reboot. Ace would often muse on the many discrepancies of his reality as a robotic Exomind, but he still fulfilled them. And the ghost believed that this was why he never came close to experiencing the cognitive disorder that required other Exo’s to Reboot themselves.

The Hunter closed his eyes as he took his time enjoying the flavors of his meal. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the wider noodles used by the cook did an excellent job of holding more of the sauce with each bite. And the rich, creaminess of the sauce held a hint of garlic strong enough to be detected along with the pasta. The food was definitely well worth the cost. Ace understood why Gregory recommended this place for more than just the porter.

The three Guardians enjoyed their meal in relative quiet, each alone in their thoughts. The Hunter smiled as he thought about the offer of support from Lily-5. The other Exo was extremely competitive, even more so than Kaijae. The fact that she would offer assistance to Ace was testament to her character; Ace had purposely been a nuisance in that Crucible match, rather than a threat. His antics had been designed to frustrate and they were effective in the end, allowing Kaijae to get the winning eliminations. Meghara and Reece weren’t as competitive, but they loyally followed Lily-5’s lead.

With only a couple bites remaining of her meal, Kaizyn suddenly broke the quiet of the table, “I think they were warning us.”

Ace and Kaijae both responded, “What?”

“Ikora and Zavala. They were warning us to be even more careful than usual,” Kaizyn continued.

Ace nodded as he replied, “That’s what I was thinking. They weren’t trying to get us to give up the hunt. We are leaps ahead of them in this and it will take them time to catch up. Mal has the data needed to nullify the Wizard’s song and is now hours ahead in analyzing the information we pulled from the World’s Grave.”

Kaijae shook his head slightly, unconvinced, “We could just share all of that.”

“There’s more to defeating that Wizard’s song than just data,” Ace argued, “I would bet that we are going to need Mal’s actual experience to properly apply whatever countermeasures he believes he has cooked up.”

“So, you think that Zavala  _ wants _ us to continue hunting Dôl Arnách?” Kaizyn pressed.

Ace shrugged as he answered, “It’s the only conclusion that makes any sense to me when I look at everything. Like I said, they would have taken all of that data from us when we got back to Earth.”

Kaijae finished the last swallow of his whiskey before replying, “Okay. What is our next move?”


	20. Chapter 20

Setting a pair of larger Glimmer cubes on the table, Ace stood up. He looked down to the two Titans and stated, “I really don’t think Mal should need much more time with the data.”

Kaizyn looked up and asked, “Have you heard anything?”

Ace shook his head, “No. Not yet. But as soon as it happens, I will let you two know.”

Kaijae’s eyes narrowed, “You’re not thinking of leaving us out on this one?”

The accusation stunned Ace for a brief moment. The thought honestly had not occurred to the Hunter, but now that it was out there...

“No,” Ace decided, “I would not have been able to pull off that stunt up on the Moon without you two. I expect taking out Dôl Arnách will be even more difficult.” Kaijae stood as well and extended his hand. The Exo shared a firm handshake with the Awoken. “I’m heading to my apartment for a bit of sleep. I’ll talk with you guys soon.” 

Kaizyn rose to her feet and stepped around the table to give Ace a hug. “See you then. We’re going to do the same.”

As Ace stepped outside, he mentally called out to Mal, “ _How is the analysis going?_ ”

“ _ Not as easy as I would like _ _,_ ” came the reply, “ _ There is so much useless data; genealogy and lineage information that doesn’t help in the slightest. I mean, it’s interesting to know that Dôl Arnách engineered the downfall of an entire race for Crota, but it that doesn’t tell us where she is now _ _._ ”

Ace paused to look up at the Traveler, hanging in the sky, above the City. The night sky was clear and jumpship traffic directly over this sector was nonexistent. Finally, Ace replied, “ _Can I get a transmat back to our apartment?_ ”

“ _I’m surprised you didn’t plan on sleeping in the ship_ ,” Mal answered.

“Are you that close?” excitement caused Ace to revert to using his external voice, right as his vision was blinded by the white flash of transmat. 

As the Hunter materialized in the entryway of his tiny residence, Mal’s voice filled his head,  “ _No. I just figured you would want to be close when it happened._ ” 

“ _I do_ ,” Ace admitted,  “ _but I feel the urge to get some real rest after all that._ ”

“ _Yes, that battle with the Hive was intense._ ”

“ _I was talking about Zavala and Ikora._ ”

Ace stepped from the entryway into the main living area. Automatic lights responded to his movement and activated, filling the small room with a gentle light. The Exo stepped to a small table that rested along a wall and began divesting himself of his armor. His helmet had been left behind in the Waning Star when they disembarked. Gloves and vambraces were set down first, followed by the heavy cuirass and cloak a couple minutes later. He would normally have his ghost transmat the armor away for him, but Ace didn’t want to interfere with Mal’s focus any further. Finally, after setting his heavy boots under the table, the Hunter turned and walked to the small sofa set on the other side of the room.

It was the Exo’s mind that felt the strain of exhaustion as he settled into the comfortable chair. The chaos of the battle on the Moon kept replaying in head while he continued to puzzle over the interview with the Vanguard commanders. The cacophony of disparate thoughts and memories were almost overwhelming now that he no longer had something drawing his focus for him. As Ace closed his eyes and prepared to enter trance, his final thought crystallized on one thing; he was certain that the Vanguard wanted him to continue hunting the Wizard.

——————

“Ace,” Mal’s voice roused the Hunter to complete awareness.

The Exo opened his eyes to see the ghost hovering nearby. If Mal was physically present in the room, that meant, “You have finished.”

“You have been asleep for only a couple hours, but I knew you would want to know immediately,” Mal confirmed.

“You were right. And I’ve managed all the sleep I needed,” Ace replied.

“Shall I notify the Kai’s?” Mal then asked.

Realizing that even though a couple hours of rest may have been enough for the Exo, his organic Awoken companions would need more, Ace shook his head. “If we tell them that we have the results, they will want to launch straightaway. They deserve more rest.”

“I will notify their ghosts and advise discretion.”

Ace nodded. Twilin and Zuko would allow their Guardians sufficient rest before rousing them with the news. “Until then, we have probably a couple hours to spend. Any ideas?”

“Do you require more recuperation?” Mal inquired.

Ace honestly considered it, however the noise inside his mind had cleared so he was able to focus once again. “No, I’m good,” he answered sincerely, “Any suggestions on how to spend a couple hours?”

“Resupply?” the ghost suggested, “You guys did use up a lot more ammunition than you may have realized.”

Ace stood up and crossed the room to the doorway that led to the kitchen area. As he opened the refrigerator, the Exo asked, “How much do we have left?”

“You have less than half a magazine for the Thunderlord, only a couple reserve shells for the Conspiracy Theory, and a handful mags’ worth for the Hung Jury,” Mal answered, “Finding material that can be converted into ammunition for the scout rifle is rarely a problem, but your other weapons...”

Ace pulled a pitcher of cooled water from the fridge and poured into a glass that was waiting on a nearby counter. After taking a sip, he replied, “Sounds good. How about the others? Check with their ghosts and we’ll handle their resupply as well while they rest.”

A second later, Mal responded, “Done.”

“Good. And since we have time to spend, let’s take the long way back to the Wall.” Ace emptied the glass, set it down, and returned the pitcher to the refrigerator.

After donning his armor once more, Ace left the small apartment. The predawn sky showed a faint trace of pink, radiating up from behind the mountains to the East. A handful of clouds, appearing like thin streamers across the sky, had formed during his short rest. Looking around, Ace didn’t see any other souls out on the street. He wasn’t surprised, though, given how early in the day it was.

The sector that Ace kept his apartment in was nothing special. It was home to just as many Guardians as civilian citizens and offered few amenities that other areas of The City did. There was a quiet pond nearby, but it wasn’t anything special to look at. There was no well-manicured landscaping around it, no playground to delight the children living nearby, not even a bench for a passerby to simply sit and enjoy the quiet. Ace loved it.

Deoxys had asked many times about his choice of residence. The Hunter earned plenty of Glimmer from his various missions, especially since he focused on tasks that involved the Fallen. The pirates were just as interested in the programmable matter, and found it just as valuable, as Humanity. Ace could easily afford much nicer quarters in one of the more “desirable” sectors.

But the Exo really liked this quiet piece of The City that he had found. It was near the Wall, so he didn’t feel as surrounded by civilization; The Wild was just on the other side. Plus, the “unkempt” appearance of the nearby pond and its surrounding grounds gave the Hunter a place nearby to escape to. Thinking about the pond prompted Ace to include a quick stroll in his route. After all, he did want to use up time so that his companions could get enough rest before departing on yet another dangerous mission.

The City was never completely silent, there was always jumpship traffic of some kind overhead, but the areas closest to the Wall experienced the least. And the sound of the wind racing along the nearby length of the Wall was often loud enough to drown out most of the ambient noise. So it was, as Ace strode through the tall grass to stand at the edge of the water. It was still too early for the birds to be roused for their songs. All Ace could hear was the wind.

He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the peace for a minute. Ace was certain that it was moments like this that kept him sane. These brief interludes between the fighting and pain, between the chaos and dying. If he didn’t have these moments to look forward to, what did he have to look forward to while he was out there, getting killed over and over?

Ace kept these thoughts quiet, hidden and private in a tiny corner of his mind. “How many times have I died?” he whispered to himself.

“What was that?” Mal asked, hovering playfully over the water’s surface.

“Nothing,” Ace lied, “Let’s get moving. The sun is almost up and Banshee should be ready to take customers.”

“Banshee? We can get ammo that is just as good from Trevan at half the cost,” Mal argued.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to run the risk of a bad batch when we’re about to head off into Traveler only knows what kind of trouble,” Ace countered, “Besides, I know that Banshee has lost a lot of business lately to vendors like Trevan.”

Mal moved close, hovering at eye level, and replied, “That didn’t stop you from picking up that Veist auto rifle from Trevan two weeks ago.”

Ace could hear the smirk in the ghost’s tone. “Yeah, well, Trevan was the only merchant carrying that ‘bumblebee’ or whatever prototype. If Banshee had been offering it, I would have gone to him,” he responded.

“It is too bad that the rifle had such poor recoil balance,” Mal mused, “The way Veist was able to infuse the rounds with Arc energy would have been very handy against the energy shields employed by Fallen Captains.”

Ace rolled his eyes at the comment, “We have plenty of weapons that can do the job.”

As he stepped out of the taller grass and onto the paved street, the Hunter looked back up to the Eastern sky. The pink haze at the edges of of the horizon had grown to encompass a good majority of the sky overhead. People would soon rise and make their way to the streets as they began their morning routines. Ace hurried along the route that would deliver him to the road that ran adjacent the Wall.

Ace couldn’t decide if he was feeling anti-social or clandestine. Was he avoiding people because he just didn’t want to deal with anyone else right now? Or was he avoiding conversation because he was nervous about the task he was undertaking? Most likely it was the former as the Exo felt confident in his analysis of the previous day’s conversations.

Still, it felt fun to imagine himself as an agent in one of the stories he found in the library. His hood up to hide his identity from any potential counteragents, the Hunter pretended to keep track of the very few individuals on the street with him. Ace had once tried to explain the make pretend games to Mal and the resulting confusion on the ghost’s part was comical. Mal simply could not grasp the concept, even after Ace took the ghost to a park to witness City-born children playing at Guardians and Fallen.

It took the pair a full hour to reach the freight elevator that would bring them to the Tower’s lower level. There were also transmat pads, but the City kept the elevators in good working order for emergencies and for people who felt uncomfortable using transmaterialization transport. After all, not everyone had a ghost and the power of the Light to be resurrected in the event of a transmat malfunction. Ace enjoyed the elevator ride as it provided an enjoyable, changing view of the City as it rose higher and higher.

As he stepped onto the large platform that comprised the floor of the elevator, the Hunter heard his name called out and turned to see another Hunter, an Awoken female, trotting to catch up.

“Good morning, Kerissa,” Ace greeted.

“I thought that was you,” Kerissa smiled as she joined him on the platform, “How are you doing?”

“Good. You?”

“Really? Word is that you’ve landed in a bit of hot water with Zavala and Ikora.”

Ace chuckled. Guardians were just as prone to gossip as anyone else. The elevator began moving as he replied, “A little bit, but nothing serious.”

Kerissa turned to look the Exo in the eyes, “Are you sure?”

“Zavala didn’t ground our ships. We stuck our nose in a nest for some kicks and got chewed out for it. Then we got grilled for every little detail we saw while we were up there.”

“A Hive nest? For Deo?”

Ace nodded.

“I wish you would have invited me,” Kerissa admitted, “I liked Deo. I would have been happy to clear out a nest of the bastards in his name.”

The Exo chuckled as he responded, “I wouldn’t attempt that right now. The Kai’s and I got them pretty stirred up. Maybe if you pick one of the nests around the Cosmodrome.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kerissa pauses before continuing, “Still, it is interesting to see you heading back up to the Tower so soon. I figured you’d want to keep a low profile so soon after getting chewed out by the Commander.”

That did give Ace pause. While he did believe that he had the Vanguard’s blessing in secret, would he be forcing their hand if he were seen back in the Tower so soon? Ace shook the thought away as silly and commented, “Why do you think I’m going so early? I need to resupply from Banshee and Zavala will be in his office right now.”

Kerissa chuckled, “Good call. I’ll have to remember that fact the next time I wind up on Zavala’s shit list.”

“You mean you’re not?” Ace laughed, “Then why are you heading up this early?”

“I want to see Amanda about an upgrade to my sparrow. I know it’s too early for her to be up, but I want to get in before anyone else. I’m just taking the elevator to kill time.”

Ace nodded, “Same.”

The rest of the elevator trip passed in silence. The two Hunters watched the City’s vista grow before their very eyes as the elevator drew closer to their destination. The sky above managed to grow even brighter as the dawn began to give way to morning. Ace noted a sudden increase in jumpship traffic as well as smaller vehicles in the streets far below. He didn’t often think about it, but this morning the Hunter wondered about the lives of the Ghostless living in The Last City below. How many of those people had families and friends that would miss them if something happened? How many of the civilians living down there had actually experienced that kind of loss? Ace had been Reborn after The City had been founded, but that was still decades ago. Most of the people currently living in The City had been born within its walls.

The elevator’s stuttering stop pulled Ace out of his thoughts. He turned away from the cage door that separated the passengers from the empty space beyond, to the opening door in the wall behind them. 

As he and his fellow Hunter stepped through to the receiving chamber, Kerrisa whispered quietly, “Whoever you three are hunting, put one in their head from me. For Deo.”

Ace pretended not to hear as Kerissa walked away, toward the stairway that led to the lower levels of the main Hangar. Ace turned the opposite direction, to the one that would eventually deliver him to the main Courtyard.

——————

Ace had already finished purchasing all the ammunition needed to restock their reserves when Mal notified him that the others were awake. The ghost was trying to be unobtrusive, hovering behind the Guardian’s shoulder, while still able to review the tablet in Ace’s hands. Mal moved forward and quietly stated, “Ace, they’re ready.”

“Sorry, Banshee, I’ll take a look at that Hakkë rifle next time,” Ace apologized as he handed a Lyudmila-D weapon schematic log back to the gunsmith.

The old Exo simply nodded as he accepted the data tablet back. Banshee-44 was well accustomed to the flighty nature of Guardians. And if he took any offense, it was quickly forgotten as the poor gunsmith had a terrible memory.

“Give me a minute before we continue,” Ace instructed as he strode away from Banshee-44’s kiosk. The Hunter crossed the courtyard to the stair well that led to the lower levels. He quickly descended and followed the hallway to the transmat pads that would take him down to the City streets. Now that he wasn’t trying to kill time, Ace had no interest in taking the scenic route. 

A couple minutes later, feeling more secure now that he was no longer in the Tower, Ace looked to Mal, “Do they want to meet anywhere to discuss what you have found?”

Mal’s cuboid shell rotated as it silently conferred with Twilin and Zuko. A couple moments later, Mal answered, “They invited us to meet at their quarters. They said it would be safer to talk than a restaurant.”

Ace nodded agreement and then asked, “Are we close? Or should we transmat? I’m honestly tired of walking now.”

“I have the coordinates,” Mal answered. Ace closed his eyes against the imminent flash, opening them a second later, now standing inside an apartment entryway.

“Oh, good! You’ve arrived!” Kaizyn’s voice called from another room.

Ace was standing in a short hallway, just inside from the main door. The morning sunlight poured into the apartment, illuminating a large living room at the other end of the hall. The Exo could make out a pair of sofas partially framing a small, low table. An open doorway marked the entrance to another room near the end of the hall as well.

Kaizyn’s smiling face, her purple eyes shining, popped out from the adjacent room. “Go have a seat. We’re finishing up breakfast,” she instructed.

As Ace walked by, he saw that the other room was a kitchen. Kaijae and Kaizyn both were at work within, Kaijae standing in front of the range while Kaizyn busied herself with slicing up a fruit. The smell of eggs greeted his olfactory sensors as Ace passed the kitchen to enter the living room.

The second half of the room, unseen from the hallway, was a small dinning area. A four chair table was set in the corner nearest the wall that separated the kitchen from the room. The other corner held a pair of doors. Ace assumed that the doors led to bedrooms. As he passed to the dinning table, the Hunter looked down to the smaller table. A worn and weathered chessboard with equally tired-looking pieces sat in the middle. A game was in progress.

“Jae always wins,” Kaizyn commented quietly from behind him.

Ace turned about to see the female Awoken set a plate with sliced pear and apple slices on the table. There was already plates and silverware set out for the three Guardians. “I’m not much of a player,” Ace admitted as he sat at the dinning table.

Kaizyn selected a couple pieces from each fruit and set them on his plate. “That chess set was the only item we were able to salvage from the ship where we were reborn. Everything else had been scrounged or destroyed. If you can learn from being repeatedly defeated at the game, Kaijae could definitely teach you.”

Ace chuckled as he shook his head, “Where would I find the time?” He sampled the apple first, enjoying the sweet, crisp flavor.

Kaizyn’s smile disappeared for a moment as she looked down at the Hunter. Finally, she commented, “You know, Ace, you are allowed to take time for yourself. We appreciate you saving the City from  _ so many calamities _ ,” the sarcasm was playful, not mocking, “but you can let other Guardians take on some of these missions.”

“And then do what with myself?” Ace asked, “Besides, those missions get me  out there. Away from the walls and the noise and the people,” he then wagged a pear slice at the Titan, “I’ll have you know that I am not  _ always _ being shot at when I am out there.”

Kaizyn just shrugged and shook her head before returning to the kitchen area. Ace had a feeling that he had missed the point that she was trying to make with him. Before he could spend more time trying to puzzle it out, Kaijae entered the room with a pair of plates; cooked eggs and a small sample of fried meats. Kaizyn followed with a pitcher of water in one hand and a stack of glasses in the other.

The two sat down and began dishing out the food. Ace accepted a small sample of the meat and eggs. While he would enjoy the taste and could get a feeling of replete satisfaction from eating, there was no tangible benefit for the Exo to eat. He made sure that the two Awoken would consume the majority of the meal.

As he scooped a single spoonful of eggs onto the Hunter’s plate, Kaijae commented, “I figured a real breakfast would be a good way to start this mission.”

Kaizyn nodded as she finished a small bite of sausage, “Yeah. Who knows how long we’ll be out this time.”

“Speaking of, do you-”

“No,” Kaizyn interrupted tersely, “I want to enjoy this meal. We can talk about what Mal found after.”

Kaijae rolled his eyes, but did change the subject, “I heard from Zuko that you were up early. Thanks for letting us sleep in.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ace replied, “I honestly would have gone back to sleep, but Mal’s news got my brain going.”

“So you just sat and waited for us to wake up?”

Ace laughed for a moment before recounting his morning activities. “Didn’t your ghosts tell you that I handled your resupply for you?” he finished.

Kaijae shrugged, “Maybe they did. I didn’t hear much after they said that Mal had the data ready. But then Kaizyn started giving orders about getting breakfast ready, rather than getting our ships prepped to launch.”

“Hush, Love, you needed a good breakfast,” Kaizyn chided, “Admit it.”

Kaijae stabbed a small piece of ham with a fork before grinning, “As always, my dear, you are correct.”

The rest of breakfast continued without any further mention of the mission. Conversation went from cooking to board games. Ace enjoyed it very much and was almost a little sad when the food was finished and Kaizyn took the plates away. It was time to discuss what Mal had managed to uncover.

.


	21. Chapter 21

Mal materialized above the center of the dinning room table and slowly rotated, looking at each Guardian for a moment before beginning, “Dôl Arnách is an incredibly powerful Hive. She has lived for centuries as a servant to Crota. Her primary role in his service is the creation of weapons that are capable of effectively severing connections to the Light.”

The ghost paused to allow the last statement to settle in. Ace had been initially leaning forward as he listened to his ghost speak, but sat back once he realized the implications of that bit of information. Their quarry was crafting weapons specifically designed to end any Guardian that it came across.

“That explains what happened to us in that hydroelectric dam,” Ace murmured.

Kaijae shook his head and shrugged, “So what? Every single thing out there, from the Fallen to the Vex, is trying to kill us. And they all have their methods. Hell, that interference field in the Hive tunnels up on Luna are no different and we got out of there.”

Mal turned to the Titan and replied, “It is different. The field we dealt with on the Moon merely suppressed our connection. It returned once we were able to counter the interference frequency and leave. If your connection is completely severed-“

“This is the Thorn,” Kaizyn interrupted.

The room went silent. There was no doubt what she was referring to, given Kaizyn’s suddenly harsh tone. Every Guardian alive had heard the story of the bogeyman, Dredgen Yor, and his fearsome Thorn. With his terrible hand cannon that was capable of consuming Light, Yor had murdered many innocents and Guardians before his death.

“That traitor is dead and his gun went with him,” Kaijae snapped.

There were many rumors to the contrary regarding Thorn’s fate. It was a very divisive topic amongst Guardians and Ace didn’t want to see an argument sparked, so he pushed the conversation forward, “But Dôl Arnách could be capable of building something like it. Is that what you’re saying, Mal?”

“Her writings indicate that Dôl Arnách is aware of Thorn’s existence and has been working to replicate it. She believes that she can make a similar weapon,” the ghost answered, “However, she has catalogued hundreds of weapons in the World’s Grave. The majority of which appear to be much older and designed for conflicts with the Traveler in other star systems, with races other than Humanity.”

“Interesting, but irrelevant, I would guess,” Kaizyn commented. 

“Again, you are correct,” Mal agreed, “There was just so much of that kind of information in there. And that is why it took us so long to extract useful data. You have no idea how many planets the Hive have destroyed or the number of other races they have snuffed out of existence.”

“Mal,” Ace prompted, “The useful data?”

“Ah, yes. She is here on Earth,” Mal answered, “The Hive don’t fully understand what some of Humanity’s former structures were used for, so it was difficult to determine what she was referencing. However, I believe that she has taken residence in a subway network hub on the American continent. At least I think that is what it was trying to say.”

“What do you mean?” Kaijae asked, “She’s either there or she isn’t.”

“According to the World’s Grave, ‘the door to Dôl Arnách’s abode has been erected in the mechanical tunnels of the Lightcursed, under a ruined metal city found on the shore of the planet’s great ocean,’” Mal recited, “Then it listed Worldline coordinates that, when calculated using the World’s Grave itself as the reference point, gives us the subway network I mentioned.”

Ace shook his head with disbelief, “She is here on Earth?”

“Yes,” Mal paused for a couple moments before continuing, “She has been hunting Guardians. I do not wish to go into detail, but she has cataloged a tremendous amount of information regarding their final deaths. I do not know which entry was for Deoxys, but it was not pleasant going through any of that.”

Kaijae leaned forward, as if about to stand, “What are we waiting for? We know where the Wizard is. Let’s finish this.”

Ace held up his hands, motioning for the impetuous Titan to remain seated. Kaizyn spoke up, “We are waiting so as to formulate a plan. Mal, what else can you tell us about her current location?”

Mal considered the question with a spin of its metallic shell, “There was not a lot of information regarding what we will find upon arrival. Dôl Arnách has not seen fit to detail the makeup of her retinue. I had hoped to find a detailed schematic of her fortress, but there was none. We actually found one for the tunnels under Luna, but there was nothing of that sort for our current endeavor.”

Kaijae, seated once again, snorted, “A map for those damned tunnels would have been really handy.”

Ace and Kaizyn both nodded their agreement. Mal continued, “The most worrisome part of her defenses will be the weapons she has managed to craft. Most of her creations have been handed out to various other Hive, but Dôl Arnách still has at least a couple in her possession. The song we have already encountered is only one part of her defense.”

Ace considered Mal’s statement for a short while. Finally, he asked, “What can you tell us about the weapons?”

Mal managed a shrug with its shell, “Not very much, I am afraid. Dôl Arnách seems to only disclose the full schematic of a weapon when it has been assigned or awarded to another Hive warrior. Most of those have come in the form of weapons we are already familiar with; modified shredders, boomers, and swords.”

“Not very imaginative,” Ace muttered.

“She doesn’t need to be imaginative when they’re already effective,” Kaizyn chided, “The Hive’s regular weapons are enough to give us trouble. I don’t like the idea of them being ‘upgraded’ in any kind of way.”

“I feel like that is exactly what we got when Crota slaughtered hundreds of Guardians with that sword of his,” Kaijae spoke quietly.

Ace was fortunate enough to be newly reborn Guardian during the Great Disaster. He was too green to be allowed to volunteer for that doomed expedition. His inexperience saved his life. Ace shuddered at the thought of what kind of death he would have likely found at the hands of Crota.

“How much of all this did Deo know before he was killed?” Kaizyn suddenly asked.

Ace looked up at the female Titan sharply, but his features just as quickly softened as he realized the logic of her question. “I think we should assume that he got the same information from the World’s Grave that we did.”

“Wait,” Kaijae interjected, “Why shouldn’t we assume that he didn’t get killed trying to reach the World’s Grave?”

Kaizyn was swift to answer, “He said he could no longer feel his Light. We were never afflicted like that during our excursion. Our ghosts couldn’t channel it, but we still had our own Light.”

Ace quickly followed up, “The remains that you two found was bait. It was planted for you to find. She is hunting Guardians. The best way to hunt anything is with the right kind of bait.”

“We are going to be walking into a trap,” Kaijae stated.

The three went silent. The statement was correct. Each Guardian knew it, but did not want to be the one to admit it. Mal continued to bob in the air, leaving the team with their thoughts.

After several minutes, Ace quietly stated, “Can you imagine an entire Hive army wielding their own Thorns?”

“Is that what we are going to face?” Kaizyn looked to her mate.

Kaijae took her hand in his and replied, “I don’t know, Love, but someone needs to put an end to her before...”

“Yeah,” Ace agreed, “Before...”

Kaizyn gently squeezed Kaijae’s hand and nodded.

Mal projected a holographic map into the air above the table. It displayed a section of the North American continent’s East Coast. “It should be a relatively short flight to reach our destination,” the ghost commented.

Ace sighed heavily, “We really haven’t formed much of a plan here.”

“Well, we really don’t have much information to build on,” Kaizyn shrugged.

“Wasn’t there a famous general from before the Golden Age that said something about plans falling apart?” Ace asked.

“‘No plan survives first contact with the enemy.’ Moltke,” Kaijae murmured. Ace and Kaizyn both turned to him. The Titan shrugged, “I found a series of military textbooks in a data engram a few decades ago. He was a famous general a long time ago who said, ‘No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength’. Isn’t that what you were thinking of, Ace?”

The Hunter chuckled, “I honestly don’t know. I heard something like that in passing from Saladin or Zavala.”

“Well, we don’t need a detailed plan,” Kaijae replied, “That’ll fall apart. We just need to know what objectives we need to accomplish.”

“Find Dôl Arnách,” Kaizyn started ticking off fingers, “Eliminate any significant forces supporting her. Kill her.”

“Don’t die,” Ace snorted.

“What about the weapons?” Kaijae asked.

“Yes, we definitely need to destroy them,” Mal interjected, “She has not been sharing any information regarding any of her actual creation methods. The secrets she has managed to uncover die with her, but they could be reverse-engineered if her weapons are left intact.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t shared that information,” Kaizyn commented.

“I’m not,” Mal turned to regard Kaizyn, “Keeping this knowledge secret and hidden helps guarantee her survival. She is useful, so the scheming against her is limited.”

“Well, I supposed we do have more of a plan than when we went looking for the World’s Grave,” Ace reluctantly admitted.

“We’ll have more information after we get there and you scout it out,” Kaijae replied, “After all, isn’t that a Hunter’s speciality?”

The Exo focused once more on Mal’s hologram, falling into his thoughts. Guardians rarely made plans. They simply dove headfirst into danger and fought like the madmen without fear of death. But they only did so because they had no reason to fear death. Ace was about to lead these two into a place where they would face weapons that gave them a reason to fear death. The three were going after an enemy who was hunting them, that wanted them to come.

Kaizyn lifted a hand, summoning her ghost, “How long before our ships are ready?”

Ace shook the thoughts away. Dôl Arnách took their friend from them and threatened to do the same to more Guardians. How many more friends or loved ones would be lost before someone pulled the trigger? The Wizard needed to be destroyed.

“They are ready to go now,” Twilin answered.

Ace stood up and adjusted his cloak. “Well, we’ve had our breakfast and agreed on what our objectives will be. Is there anything else to discuss?”

Kaijae shook his head as he joined the Hunter, “I don’t think that there is much more to discuss. Unless you want to dive into that subway by yourself and come back with more detailed information.”

Ace blinked.

“If we let him do that, he’ll just ‘scout’ his way all the way down to that Wizard’s bedroom and take her down on his own!” Kaizyn laughed.

“Let’s go,” Ace replied.

A moment later, he found himself sitting in the cockpit of his jumpship. The Waning Star hovered in its assigned berth in the hangar, idling. Ace reached across the console to press a button, signaling his request for clearance to depart. After only a couple minutes of waiting, clearance was granted and Ace found himself outside the Tower.

“The Kai’s are already above us, waiting for you to join formation,” Mal informed the Hunter.

Ace pulled gently on the side-mounted control stick to ascend more quickly, to reach the rest of the team. “Let’s do this,” he whispered.


	22. Chapter 22

“Ace, we have arrived,” Mal gently announced.

The Exo pulled back on the throttle control to slow the Waning Star with one hand and tilted the control stick to pitch the ship with the other. Executing a slow, banking turn, Ace gazed down through the domed glass of the cockpit to get a look at the ruins. It was difficult to make out the shells of former buildings from the wild overgrowth of bushes, vines, and trees from their height, but the grid-like regularity of the spacing between trees told him that there were ruins below.

“Do we have any records of the subway network available?” Kaizyn’s voice filled the comm link.

Ace returned the ship to a level plane as Twilin answered, “We do not have anything reliable. There is evidence of many structural collapses that would affect the subway network.”

“What do we have?” Kaijae asked, “I thought Mal said that he got coordinates.”

An overhead map of the area below appeared in the ship’s computer screen as Mal answered, “Give me a moment to recalculate the Worldline coordinates. Done.”

An indicator appeared in the center of the city’s southwestern quadrant. Ace keyed in a command to magnify and center in on the indicated area. The ghosts had used the topography of the area to determine and display street locations. The grid layout was even more apparent with the addition. Ace focused further on the location Mal provided, it was in the middle one of the grid’s squares.

“This doesn’t look like a place we would find a subway entrance,” the Hunter observed, “Aren’t those normally placed on the streets?”

“That is correct,” Twilin answered.

“Come on, Ace,” came Kaijae’s dry response, “You didn’t think it would be that easy. It’s never that easy.”

“No, it never is,” the Hunter replied.

“It would be nice if, for once, it was that easy,” Kaizyn sighed.

“All right, guys,” Kaijae announced, “Let’s prep for transmat.”

Ace typed in a command into the autopilot that would set the Waning Star to rise to suborbital altitude and remain over their position. Then he donned his helmet before pressing the execute key. A minute later, the three Guardians found themselves standing amidst shrubbery and ivy vines growing from the cracked and broken remains of a concrete street. Tall, towering trees rose up at regular intervals, outgrowing their originally allotted space in the avenues and destroying the pavement that tried to contain them.

Most of the the buildings had all collapsed, but their remains were apparent now that the fireteam was standing on the ground. The sheer size of the city became apparent; it originally seemed insignificantly small from their jumpships. As Ace turned about to gain his bearings, the waypoint in his visor moved with him.

Kaijae pointed in the direction of the indicator, “So, she’s somewhere over there.”

Kaizyn nodded, but continued to look about, “We need to find a way below ground. Ace, keep an eye out for enemies.”

“Radar is empty,” Zuko commented.

Ace shifted his Hung Jury into a more comfortable position and raced toward the nearest building. An empty radar was hollow assurance. Fallen had developed active camouflage that was even better than his own Shadestep; it lasted significantly longer and defied all means of detection. A series of jumps brought the Hunter to the top of the building’s remains.

Kaijae and Kaizyn began walking toward the nearest intersection, hoping that they would find an elevator or stairwell. “No hostiles in sight in that direction,” Ace assured them from his perch above.

The two Titans found a stairwell, but it was filled with rubble. “Do we want to try to clear it?” Kaijae asked.

“No,” Kaizyn answered, “I doubt we could clear that much debris without alerting the Hive or drawing attention from Fallen. Let’s try to find another.”

The three Guardians spent the next several minutes thus searching for a viable entrance. Until Ace called out a warning, “Fallen skiff. I’m certain our ships drew attention when we paused for so long overhead. They’re probably here to check and see if they can steal whatever we’re looking for.”

“Scavenging pirates,” Mal suddenly commented.

Ace ignored the ghost and continued, “I can take them out. We haven’t been spotted yet and there’s only a handful.”

“I’d rather not,” Kaizyn responded, “Killing this group will only bring more to investigate into whatever we are defending.”

“They are three streets away, to the west,” Ace informed them from another rooftop.

“Do we keep moving to try and evade them? Or do we find somewhere to hide?” Kaizyn looked to her mate.

“Moving around may just tip them off. Especially if they spread out,” Kaijae replied.

“Move east,” Mal instructed, “You are still outside the range of their scanners, but they will pick you up soon. There is a building that has a reinforced inner structure. It will interfere with their equipment.”

As they began moving, Kaizyn asked, “What if we just transmat back up to the ships?”

“The skiff will detect it and the Fallen will know that we were on the ground here,” Ace explained, “They’ll send even more to investigate. When we come back, we’ll have to fight through them to reach Dôl Arnách’s hideout. And then we’ll have to fight the Hive.”

“Too bad we can’t get the Fallen to fight the Hive for us,” Kaijae muttered.

“That would be a brilliant- next door on your right- maneuver, but how would we even pull it off?” Ace commented as he made the jump to the top of the same building that the the Titans had just entered.

“We can’t,” Kaijae’s response became partial static as the two Titans moved to the inner room of the structure, “I was just making an Ahamkara wish.”

Ace merely grunted in reply as he scanned the street behind them, watching for movement. He made sure to keep a careful eye out for the telltale “shimmer” of any active camouflage, but he didn’t see anything. Even when the Fallen finally stepped into sight, further down the street, there wasn’t anything else to see.

“They’re getting close,” Ace spoke quietly into the comm, “Radio silence for now.”

The Hunter activated his Shadestep to go invisible long enough to slip through an empty window frame. He quickly found an inner room and silently ducked inside, quietly closing the reinforced door. He then spent the next few minutes simply waiting. Ace wanted to check in on his teammates, but worried about the skiff. The Fallen spaceship had much more sensitive equipment that could possibly detect a transmission of any kind and was closely following its crew. Now that the skiff was nearer, it posed a real threat.

It did not take much longer for Ace to begin hearing the Fallen scout team outside. They shouted at one another in their alien tongue and he could hear them opening doors. The Hunter felt a twinge of panic at that thought; what if the pirates stumbled across his Titan companions? Ace’s mind played through a handful of potential scenarios, mostly involving him leaping through a front window to eliminate any Fallen in the street before rushing to aid his companions.

If they acted swiftly enough, there was a strong chance that the three Guardians could eliminate the Fallen so quickly that they could find a subway entrance before another skiff could bring reinforcements. Underground, the Fallen would have a more difficult time tracking them and the subway tunnels would make excellent choke points that the team could easily defend. And once they were finally below the street level, they could make their way to Dôl Arnách’s sanctum. Ace was ready to go at the slightest signal.

That signal never came. He heard the Fallen enter their building, heard them check a couple doors near to the entrance, and then he heard them move on. The Nightstalker took no chances, though. He waited a few minutes before quietly opening the door and then Shadesteping through. Thus invisible, Ace rushed to the nearest front window to confirm that the Fallen had moved on.

The Hunter spotted the pirates a couple streets further down. He breathed a sigh of relief and slipped back to the inner room to wait a little longer. After a short few more minutes, Ace broke the radio silence, “They’ve moved on. They are still out there, but we are clear to talk.”

“Good,” relief filled Kaizyn’s voice, even with the static, “I swear they were one door away from stumbling into us.”

“Continue to hang tight,” Ace instructed, “I’m going to check it out.” He returned to the rooftop and spotted the skiff several blocks away. “You’re clear to move around a little bit.”

“Hold on, Ace. Jae found something interesting.”

“Yeah, I think I found a map,” Kaijae explained, “It looks like it shows transportation routes in the area around the building,” there was a long pause until, “Honey, do you think we entered from Seventy sixth or from Washing?”

“I think that word is Washington,” Kaizyn replied.

“Oh yeah. This thing is so dirty and faded, it’s hard to read.”

“Guys!” Ace exclaimed, “It doesn’t matter what the street is named. We just need to know where to go.”

“There’s an entrance to the subway inside of this building,” Kaijae responded, “Depending on which side we actually came in from-”

“Jae, we’re idiots,” Kaizyn interrupted, “This map is North-South oriented. The elevator we need is that way.”

“Ace, come down here. I think we found the entrance we need,” Kaijae announced.

The Hunter didn’t bother looking for stairs or an elevator. With the Fallen out of sight, he felt safe simply jumping out the window and falling the several dozen meters to the ground below. Ace halted just descent with a midair boost, just before reaching the ground, and then sprinted to the door.

“This way, Ace,” Mal placed a new waypoint in his visor.

Following the indicator, the Hunter found his companions quickly. The two Titans were standing in front of a pair of elevator doors, one of which Kaijae had forced open. Kaizyn stood at the mouth, gazing down with Twilin acting as a torch.

“We’re in luck,” she announced, “this shaft is clear.”

Kaijae looked up to Ace and explained, “The stairwell collapsed and the bottom of the other elevator shaft is filled with the remains of the actual elevator.”

Kaizyn turned away from the black pit and commented, “This building is still in such good condition, I assumed that one of the subbasement access routes must have remained intact.”

Ace stepped to the doorway and looked down. Twilin continued to shine a beam of light into the dark pit, so the Hunter was able to clearly see down to the bottom. “I’ll go first,” he stated, just before stepping out into the emptiness.

The descent was quick; only a dozen meters to the ground. Ace unsheathed his knife and used the blade to pry open the door. Trying to avoid any unnecessary noise, he eased the door slowly, and only just wide enough to peer through. Whatever happened to this city during the Collapse and the centuries following, the power supplying the subcity remained intact. Soft lights illuminated the chamber on the other side of the door.

The Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. Scouting would be infinitely more easy with the subway’s lighting system intact and functional. Ace pried the door a little more, affording himself a wider view. Scanning in all directions, he spotted no sign of danger.

“All clear,” Ace announced, “Come down.”

As the Titans settled gently onto the floor next to him, Ace pushed open the elevator door the rest of the way. Kaijae gripped his hand cannon firmly in one hand and stepped through, looking for any danger to the right. Kaizyn followed closely behind, training her auto rifle in the opposite direction. Ace stepped out last, listening intently for any sign of danger. The subway tunnels were still and quiet, any loud sound would be carried a long distance down here. The Hunter could only hear the quiet footsteps of his companions.

The chamber was a medium sized room that seemed to exist only to punctuate a hallway that traveled parallel to the wall that held the elevators. Kaijae had moved to the right hand exit and taken up position at the opening. Kaizyn did the same at the other end. Ace moved to join Kaijae, the indicator for Dôl Arnách’s hideout was in that general direction. As the Nightstalker got close to the opening, he dove forward into a Shadestep. There was no cover in the tunnel and he didn’t want to take chances.

Moving swiftly so that he did not waste any time whilst camouflaged, Ace rushed to the next intersection. There he found a subway terminal. Massive columns supported the ceiling overhead of a large chamber. Two wide platforms bracketed a pair of maglev rails that ran in both directions through wide subway train tunnels. At the north end of each platform, Ace could see a large pile of debris and rubble spilling into the terminal. A building had collapsed over the two stairwells, filling them with wreckage. No sign of any Hive or Fallen.

“Move forward,” Ace quietly instructed.

The Hunter waited for the Titans to join him before moving further into the terminal. A thick layer of undisturbed dust covering the ground reassured Ace about their relative safety at the moment. As they moved to the center of the terminal, Ace noticed a train sitting in one of the tunnels. Curiosity urged the Hunter to go inspect the Golden Age vehicle.

Ace regretted it. The terminal itself was clear of any human remains; not so with the train. Through the clouded plexiglass window of the front of the vehicle, the Exo could see over a dozen skeletons. He looked away before he could unconsciously begin to start identifying the age or other aspects of the dead. Warning the Awoken away with a wave and shake of his head, Ace briefly considered the final moments of the poor souls. Kaijae ignored the suggestion.

“How terrible,” Kaijae whispered, “to die trapped like that.”

“Wouldn’t there be safeguards to prevent that?” Kaizyn asked.

“Whatever happened during the Collapse possibly could have destroyed any such safeguards,” Ace mused. He moved away from the obstructed tunnel, putting the thoughts of dead behind him. There was always plenty of death ahead of them for the Guardians to worry about.


	23. Chapter 23

Moving ahead of the two other Guardians, Ace turned down the second tunnel. He could see clearly all the way down until the horizon practically collapsed into a single point in the distance. The location marker was only a little to the side of where the tunnel appeared to end.

“Is that another terminal down there?” Kaizyn asked.

“It must be,” Ace answered.

“I am amazed that this is intact,” Kaijae commented, looking up at the ceiling and lights above, “More than half of the buildings up top are knocked over or falling in on themselves. But this subway system managed to survive. It’s amazing.”

“One day, we will reclaim all of this,” Kaizyn whispered.

Ace merely nodded and continued moving forward. Guardians didn’t often talk about the far future that lay ahead of them. Most didn’t even bother thinking more than a few days ahead of them. After all, there was far too much in the immediate to deal with first. Kaizyn was a rarity.

As they drew closer to the end of the tunnel, it became apparent that it was another station awaiting them. However, this one appeared much larger, even from within the passageway. Ace signaled for silence as he moved ahead to scout the area. As always, the Hunter did not trust an empty radar display. 

The tunnel emptied into a multilevel chamber; there were the same platforms on either side of the railways, but stairs led down at the far end this time. Ace hunched low, staying below the platform’s surface level and stalked forward to the edge. Where the landing ended, the maglev rails continued on, over a bridge that spanned a second, lower set of subway rails that traveled in perpendicular directions. Two terminals had been stacked atop one another to create a hub.

And Ace found no sign of any threat. He stood up and climbed atop the platform. The waypoint indicator was close; it appeared to be a short distance down one of the lower tunnels.

The Titans joined him a moment later, looking down the stairway to the lower set of platforms. “Looks like we’re getting close,” Kaijae commented.

Ace nodded as he replied, “Yeah. And I don’t like how we haven’t seen anything down here.”

“Maybe the Wizard doesn’t have any minions or anything like that,” Kaizyn offered.

Ace turned and looked from Kaizyn to Kaijae, inviting more information. Kaijae shook his head, “I doubt that. We aren’t that lucky.”

Ace turned back to the stairs and began descending to the lower terminal. Apart from the bridge overhead, the lower station was identical to the upper level. The team hopped down from the landing to the ground in front of the nearest tunnel. No train obstructed their path.

All three Guardians moved into the subway shaft together. After only a couple minutes of walking, Kaizyn pointed ahead, “Is that a cave in?”

As one, they all quickened their pace. Ace could see debris littering the ground, but it did not appear to be the result of any kind of cave in. He moved to the side as he approached, to get a better view of the subway wall, and saw that another shaft had been carved into it.

“I think we’ve found the entrance to Dôl Arnách’s hideout,” Kaizyn commented.

Ace said nothing. He simply raised his rifle and stepped through the opening. The Hunter could sense that Deoxys’s killer was near. The Kai’s followed closely behind.

The passage reminded Ace of the tunnels on the Moon, reinforcing his belief that they were drawing close to the Hive. However, this tunnel twisted fairly sharply as it progressed and winded deeper into the Earth. Before long, the team came to an intersection.

“Great,” Kaizyn muttered, “Three choices. So?”

“Stay together,” Ace stated firmly, “The answer is always stay together.”

“Then which way?” Kaizyn replied.

Kaijae raised a hand and summoned Zuko to materialize, “Any thoughts?”

Zuko turned about slowly, scanning the area for a few seconds before responding, “There isn’t much of anything significant to differentiate the tunnels from one another except that this tunnel,” Zuko turned and bobbed toward the left hand tunnel, “appears to slope downward more than the other two.”

Kaizyn stepped forward to peer down the indicated shaft, “It does always seem that the deeper down we go, the more likely it is that we find whatever we are hunting after.”

Ace took a step forward to join Kaizyn when Kaijae placed a hand on his shoulder. The Hunter looked up sharply, but held his tongue when he saw the Titan hold up a warning finger. Ace froze and looked about for a second before realizing what had caught his companion’s attention; the outermost register of his threat detector indicated danger.

Kaizyn had noticed it as well, backing away from the tunnel that they had been about to traverse. Kaijae tapped one of her pauldrons and then motioned to the opposite exit. Ace nodded and moved to take point as the team moved away from whatever approached.

The Hunter made sure to pay attention to the radar display in his visor, checking to make sure that the threat was getting further away as the team hurried along. He hoped that the snap decision to move down this particular tunnel didn’t turn out to bite them. The longer the team could stay undetected, the better their chances of success in the end.

With every twist and sharp curve, Ace expected to stumble across an enemy. He married his sense of urgency with the need for caution, rushing quickly down every straight stretch. Unfortunately, as soon as the radar behind the team cleared up, a new indicator appeared ahead.

Ace stopped abruptly. “There’s enemies ahead,” he whispered into the comm link, “Do we want to continue and deal with it, or head back and deal with whatever we left back there?”

The Titans were quiet as they moved forward to join the Hunter. Kaijae looked from one end of the tunnel to the other while Kaizyn placed a hand on her chin to ponder the question. Finally she looked up to her teammates and stated, “We move ahead.”

Kaijae nodded and added, “Whatever we left behind us was probably a patrol that will need to check in. It will be noticed when it goes missing for long.”

“Okay. Let’s keep moving,” Ace replied, “When we get closer, I’ll move ahead to check it out. Let’s stay quiet beginning now.”

The team followed Ace’s plan, moving silently along the stone tunnel until Ace raised a hand. They stood near one of the tunnel’s sharp curves and their radars showed danger only a few meters away. The Nightstalker dove forward into a roll, Shadestepping into invisibility around the turn.

On the other side of the curve was a large room. Ace had eyes only for the pair of Acolytes milling about near the entrance. He spared a quick look to ensure that these two Hive were the only enemies present before rushing forward. It was only a pair of Acolytes and they were close together. The Nightstalker decided on a calculated gamble.

Just as the Void energy dissipated from his body, leaving him visible once again, Ace plunged his knife into the back of the nearest Hive soldier. The Acolyte screeched in pain, but the Hunter ignored it. Instead, he leveled his shotgun at the startled, second Hive. Before the Acolyte could react, Ace squeezed the trigger. Then, with a swift slide of the pump action, he ejected the spent shell and replaced it with a fresh one.

Kaijae and Kaizyn rushed into the room in time to witness Ace dispatch the first Acolyte with another squeeze of the trigger. The Titans raised their weapons in defensive posture as they scanned the room for additional enemies. The Hunter listened carefully as he focused on the radar, waiting for signs that his weapon fire had drawn attention. The three stood frozen, waiting, for a full two minutes.

When there was still no sign of any additional Hive coming to investigate, the fireteam finally relaxed enough to move about the room. The first thing that struck Ace as odd was how brightly lit this chamber was. The rest of the carved tunnels were illuminated with the same, small, orange-toned crystals that they had seen in abundance on the moon. In this room, however, the light was a faded blue and much brighter. It came from a pair of large, torso-sized crystals that rested on a stone bench in the middle of the room.

Ace glanced around and noted that there were a handful of similar stone platforms that rose up from the floor distributed evenly around the circular chamber. They were solid stone structures that rose less than a couple meters from the floor, giving the Guardian the impression of a table or work bench.

The second feature of the room that next immediately caught the Hunter’s attention was a jumble of metallic arms and implements sprouting from the center of the room’s ceiling, like an infant’s mobile. Ace took a few steps into the center of the room to get a closer look at the tangle of appendages. There was at least a dozen articulated arms connecting to a central hub; it was clear that the entire thing could be rotated on that hub to reach any one of the benches in the room. At the end of each one of the metal limbs was a different implement; from sharp needles to different types of blades. Two of the arms ended with claws that each clutched a dull, cloudy grey crystal. An involuntary shudder managed to course up Ace’s spine.

“Jae, what is this?” Kaizyn’s harsh whisper caused Ace to turn about. The Titans were standing in front of a table that held one of the bright crystals. They both stared down at a pile of debris that rested next to the gemstone.

Ace moved to join them and saw what had caused Kaizyn such distress. The “debris” was the shattered remains of a ghost shell. The Hunter took a harder look at the tables that had formed a ring inside the chamber. Each was about the perfect length and width to hold prone Guardian’s body. The Hunter turned quickly to the other bench that also held a similar crystal.

There, too, lay an empty and broken ghost shell.

“Zuko,” Kaijae called out as he raised a hand.

The Titan’s ghost appeared and immediately moved to inspect the table’s contents. The Hunter likewise summoned Mal to investigate the stone bench in front of him. The ghost appeared to hesitate a moment before it began scanning the remains. Ace could detect a faint sense of solemn respect from Mal. 

“There is nothing left of this ghost,” Zuko declared after a few seconds, “There are no remnants of any kind within this shell.”

“I have the same results here,” Mal stated, “But this crystal is what is most worrisome to me.”

“Agreed,” Zuko floated away from the table and turned to Kaijae before continuing, “This crystal is filled with Light. A Guardian’s Light.”

Inside his helmet, Ace’s eyes widened in horror at the thought. Kaizyn gasped and involuntarily backed away from the bench. Kaijae looked from his ghost back to the brightly glowing crystal and stated, “This is why she has been hunting Guardians.”

“She isn’t just severing their connection to the Light,” Mal agreed, “She has been draining them of their Light entirely.”

Ace closed his eyes and fell into himself, feeling for his connection to the Light. In all its various elements, Void, Arc, and Solar, the Light was not only a tool and his most powerful weapon, it was what sustained him. It sustained every Guardian. Ace opened his eyes as he returned from his focus. “Is one of these Deo?” he whispered.

Kaijae took a sudden step away from the table, as if he had been physically struck. Without warning, the Titan suddenly drew his shotgun and fired. The crystal cracked. Kaijae fired again. “I don’t care whose it was, she will not have another Guardian’s Light,” he growled.

A third shell split the gem in two. Ace could visibly see the Light essence pour out of the vessel, dissipating in the air. He could feel some of that Light become absorbed into himself. The Hunter nodded to himself. They would use the perished Guardians’ Light to destroy Dôl Arnách. He raised his own shotgun and destroyed the second crystal as well.

Without word, the team turned about and moved to the exit. For a brief moment, before he pulled the trigger, Ace wondered if the commotion would bring Dôl Arnách, and whatever minions she had, crashing down upon the three of them. But the instant passed and doubt was immediately replaced with rage. The Hunter almost hoped that the Hive would come after them, he would annihilate them all with his Light.

Despite his desire for an engagement with any enemy, Ace moved quietly. He had his companions to consider. There was another pre-Golden Age expression that he couldn’t quite recall; something about discretion that would apply to his current internal conflict. He briefly wondered if Kaijae would know it.

It did not take long for the three to make it back to the intersection. No sign of any danger appeared in their radars. Ace took a step toward the tunnel that would lead them lower, where they suspected that they would find Dôl Arnách, but Kaizyn stopped him with a hand on his arm. The Hunter turned around.

“We should check the other way,” she pointed with her rifle at the second passage, “We may find more of those crystals.”

“We can’t risk leaving any in the Hive’s hands,” Kaijae added.

Ace nodded. He agreed wholeheartedly with the Titans’ assessment. In fact, the Exo felt more than a little chagrined that he hadn’t already considered it himself. Zavala’s warning had been on point; Ace’s anger and desire for revenge had blinded him.

The Hunter moved swiftly through the winding tunnel, ahead of the Titans as he scouted for any potential threats. They had traveled for a handful of minutes without incident when Ace’s sensors began detecting potential danger. He slowed down considerably as he reached another sharp curve in the tunnel. The Hunter inched forward and peeked around the bend.

The channel continued for a few meters before emptying into another chamber. This one was much larger than the first; it was comprised of multiple levels and had many doors. A handful of Acolytes stood together in a bunch near one of the doors while another group had gathered on an upper level. Ace slipped away from the bend and returned to his team.

“Barracks,” the Hunter commented quietly, “I counted at least twelve Acolytes out in the open.”

“There’s probably several times that number in there, if that is the barracks,” Kaizyn mused.

“I’m really not worried about how many there are in there,” Ace countered, “I just don’t want to start the wrong fight at the wrong time.”

Kaijae nodded and replied, “Yeah, we won’t be able to kill that many without some kind of alarm going off.”

“We’re not going to find any crystals in there,” Ace stated flatly. The two Titans agreed and the team quickly returned to the junction.

“You were right,” Ace commented to Kaizyn.

“I was?” confusion colored her response.

Kaijae barked a short laugh before explaining, “The target is always in the deepest tunnel.”

The three Guardians shared a laugh before finally turning and stepping into the passageway.


	24. Chapter 24

There was no warning, no indicator in the threat detector, nothing of any kind to warn the team that they were about to reach the final chamber. Ace simply rounded a corner and found himself standing in a large chamber. The Hunter was so caught of guard that he froze momentarily.

Kaizyn noticed the sudden stop. “What is it?” she whispered harshly.

Ace regained his wits and moved to the side as he answered, “Nothing. Well, not nothing. We’ve found something, but there’s no Hive here.”

At that, Kaizyn and Kaijae both moved quickly to join Ace. The room was approximately the same size as the first chamber, but this one was dominated by an empty doorway standing in the center of the room on a large dais. The stone arch was covered in Hive tunes and capped with a large, orange crystal as the keystone. There were no other features. The walls were just as barren as the tunnels. No other doorway or exits from the chamber existed beyond the one that they had entered from.

“What’s going on?” Kaizyn turned to look to her companions.

Ace shook his head. He had no answer.

“I don’t understand either,” Kaijae replied, “This entire complex makes no sense. There’s practically nothing to it.”

“Maybe that’s so it won’t draw too much attention,” Ace offered.

“Maybe,” Kaijae conceded, “but there should still be more to it. Does Dôl Arnách share space with her minions in the barracks you found? Where would she keep the records she wants to keep secret? Mal said that she has secrets from the rest of the Hive.”

“And what about the weapons?” Kaizyn added, “She had those two crystal, but I didn’t see any sign of a weapon be crafted in there.”

Kaijae snapped his fingers and exclaimed, “Exactly! Where is it all?”

Ace and Kaizyn both turned to look meaningfully at the empty doorway. The Titan summoned her ghost, who immediately moved to begin scanning the stone structure. Ace walked around the perimeter of the room, examining the archway from different angles.

“It shares markings used by the Hive on all of their other gates, but it is missing a few key components,” Twilin announced.

Ace, now standing on the opposite side of the room from the rest of his fire team, asked, “What does that mean?”

“I do not know, Ace. Normally, there is a way to activate these Hive portal structures, but I cannot find it,” Twilin explained, “It is usually just a matter of finding the trigger mechanism and then determining how to activate it. I cannot find any trigger.”

“So, it’s a portal,” Ace stated and then asked, “Where does it lead to?”

“I am unable to determine that,” Twilin answered, “This could honestly connect to anywhere in the solar system. We would need to pass through in order know where it goes.”

“So, does that mean we have to wait for her to come back here?” Kaijae’s frustration was apparent in his tone. The Titan had hoped for a straightforward fight. “Maybe we should head back to the barracks and start a fight. Trigger an alarm and see what happens.”

Kaizyn placed a calming hand on his shoulder and replied, “It’s a bit soon for that. Let’s give her a chance to figure it out. Maybe Zuko can help.”

Kaijae responded by summoning his ghost and then moving to stand against the wall. Zuko glided to the center of the room, joining Twilin at the archway. Ace stepped forward, approaching dais as he raised a hand. As he was about to mentally summon Mal to join the other two ghosts, a wave of energy forcibly pushed the Hunter away. Ace was unharmed, but he did stumble a few steps as he struggled to keep his balance.

“What was that?” Kaizyn called out.

Ace was about to respond when a surge of dizziness caused him to stagger back and brace himself against the wall. Confusion gripped him; an Exomind should be immune to this kind of physical reaction. This was not a physical reaction.

Kaijae and Kaizyn both observed the Hunter’s collapse and rushed to assist. Ace’s vision cleared just in time to witness the two Titans approach the center platform. He tried to call out a warning, but it was too late. Both of his companions were suddenly hurled away from the dais by the same invisible force.

The ghosts immediately stopped scanning the doorway and moved to their respective Guardians. Kaijae waved Zuko away as he leaned against the wall. Kaizyn knelt on the ground, whispering to herself. Ace could barely make out the words.

“Don’t throw up in the helmet. Don’t throw up in the helmet,” the female Titan repeated almost inaudibly.

The affliction passed as swiftly for the Titans as quickly as it did for the Hunter. Ace moved to join his companions, careful to maintain a healthy distance between himself and the dais. Mal materialized and joined the other two ghosts.

“That was... unpleasant,” Kaijae commented.

Kaizyn merely shook her head. While she was able to stand and move to join the others, it was apparent that she was still feeling ill effects. Ace wondered if the memory of the incident was enough to make her continue feeling ill.

The Hunter looked from Kaizyn to the portal. “Yeah. But what was it?”

“Most likely a defense mechanism,” Zuko suggested.

“A lock,” Twilin stated.

“You’re saying that Dôl Arnách left the house and locked the door behind her?” Kaijae asked.

“Wait,” Ace interjected before one of the ghosts could answer, “Why lock a door that can’t be opened? Twilin said that there is no activation mechanism.”

Kaizyn, now standing more upright and steady, spoke up, “Whatever the reason for it, the thing only responded when we got close. It ignored the ghosts.”

All three ghosts considered Kaizyn’s observation with quiet whirls of their shells. A moment later Mal offered, “It only responds to organic life.”

Kaijae groaned, “So, even if you could figure out a way to open the damn thing, we can’t use it?”

“No,” Ace countered, “It couldn’t be responding to organics. I’m an Exomind. There’s nothing organic about my body.”

Frustrated, Kaijae snapped, “We still can’t pass through.”

“We could arrange an ambush here,” Kaizyn suggested, “We wait for the Wizard to return and nail her as soon as she passes through.”

Ace considered the idea. There was no cover in the chamber, so they would need to simply overwhelm Dôl Arnách as soon as she arrived. The Hunter closed his eyes and felt for the well of power within himself; it was almost refilled. The Light that he had inadvertently absorbed from the crystals earlier had given him a significant boost.

“Ace, can you try again?” Mal requested, “I want to observe the reaction.”

The Hunter nodded reluctantly. He moved forward a few steps and then stopped close to the point where he approximated the outer limit of the ward would be. Ace took a couple deep “breaths” to mentally prepare himself before moving again.

The same disorienting wave of force shoved him back, causing the Hunter to stagger back to the wall. Kaijae and Kaizyn both steadied the Exo as the same dizziness passed. As grateful as Ace was for their support, he was even more thankful that he had not been afflicted with nausea like Kaizyn had.

“Interesting,” Mal commented.

“Agreed,” Twilin replied, “It is definitely a lock.”

Zuko turned to Kaijae, “Can you try something? Come stand here.” The ghost cast a beam of light on the floor.

The Titan patted Ace on the shoulder and moved to stand in the indicated location. The Hunter noted that the spot was just outside the threshold. If Kaijae were to move forward any further, he would be hit by the energy wave again.

“Extend your arm,” Zuko instructed.

The Titan shrugged and raised his left arm and stretched it out, toward the stone arch. Kaijae was again sent stumbling backward. Ace caught the Titan before he could fall.

“It’s your shields!” Mal exclaimed.

“The barrier around the portal is responding to the frequency of your energy shields,” Twilin added.

Shaking off the disorientation effects, Kaijae stood straight and responded, “That’s nice to kn-“

“Kaijae!” Zuko interrupted excitedly, “That crystal from the sword is reacting again!”

The Titan extended his hand and the small, dark crystal materialized in his palm. Kaijae didn’t wait for instruction, he immediately strode forward with his fist out in front.

“You’ve passed the threshold,” Zuko announced.

“I... can tell...” Kaijae replied. Ace could tell that the Titan was speaking through clenched teeth. “It’s still... fighting...”

He suddenly pulled away from the barrier’s edge and collapsed. Before Ace or Kaizyn could reach him, Kaijae activated his helmet’s quick release. The front faceplate of his Infinite Lines helm sprung open as the Awoken began to retch. Ace and Kaizyn moved to offer assistance, but he waved them off.

“The crystal affected the barrier, but your energy shields still triggered a reaction,” Twilin stated.

“You... think?” Kaijae panted. His body remained hunched over on the floor, but had stopped convulsing.

“We can-“ Mal began, but stopped when the Hunter held up a hand. Ace and Kaizyn both stood patiently, waiting for Kaijae to recover. After a couple minutes, the Titan finally stood, closing his helmet’s faceplate. Mal continued at a signal from Kaijae, “We can use the frequency of the crystal to calibrate your energy shields. With the right frequency, you three can pass through the barrier.”

“Do it,” Kaizyn instructed.

As the ghosts moved to their respective Guardians, Kaijae muttered, “This had better work, I am tired of getting hit by whatever that barrier is. It is really not pleasant.”

“Hold still, Ace,” Mal directed as it began to bathe the Hunter in a soft light. Ace froze in place as Mal drifted around him. Suddenly, an alarm sounded in his ear as his armor detected a failure in the barrier. “Ignore that. I am resetting your energy shield to recalibrate to the new frequency,” the ghost explained.

“This will affect your shield’s effectiveness,” Twilin warned.

“How bad?” Kaijae asked.

“It’s hard to tell,” Zuko answered, “I estimate a reduction of thirty percent in resistance to certain energy types.”

All three Guardians shook their heads at the information. Almost a full third was troubling. But not a one of them said anything against the modification.

“Done,” Twilin announced shortly after.

The Hunter stepped forward and began reaching out a hand. “I wouldn’t,” Mal cautioned, “Better to attempt to pass through all at once. We do not know if the barrier will fooled for long.”

Kaijae shuddered slightly as he moved to stand beside Ace. Kaizyn joined them and spoke quietly, “All together now. Let’s do this.”

Ace felt a minor, fleeting resistance as he moved toward the dais. A warning chirp sounded inside his helmet, alerting the Hunter to the fact that some of his shields had been damaged. He braced himself for the repulsion effect that they had experienced before, but there was none.

“You’re through!” Zuko called out triumphantly.

Ace heard Kaijae heave a sigh of relief. The Exo did not blame the Awoken for his exaggerated reaction; the two brief encounters with the ward protecting the gate were more than enough for him.

“Guys!” Kaizyn suddenly called out, “Look!”

The Titan pointed at the archway. An active portal doorway swirled in the air within.

“It _was_ locked,” Twilin declared, “We found the frequency to deactivate the lock and that opened the portal.”

“There’s no trigger mechanism because the portal is always active,” Zuko announced.

“I’m surprised he didn’t shout, ‘Eureka’,” Kaijae chuckled wryly.

Ace shared in the quiet laugh as he stepped up onto the platform. Kaizyn stopped him from moving closer to the portal with a hand, “Wait. We don’t know where this is going to take us.”

“Oh. Right,” Ace looked up to his ghost, “Any idea where this goes now that it is open?”

All three ghosts moved closer to the gate and inspected it. After several seconds, Mal turned back to the fireteam and answered, “I’m sorry, but there is simply no way to know from this side.”

“Zuko, check the seals,” Kaijae commanded, “I don’t want to find myself in a vacuum or caustic atmosphere with unsealed armor. Again.”

Kaizyn and Ace both followed suit. While a vacuum would only have a psychosomatic effect on the Exo, an atmosphere with acidic vapors would be able to inflict considerable damage to his physical body. And fresh memories of their trip to the World’s Grave reminded them all that they could not always rely on their ghosts to be able to revive them.

“Everything checks out. You all are clear to proceed,” Twilin announced.

The Hunter looked down at the Hung Jury rifle in his hands. What  _ would _ they find on the other side? Would enemies be alerted now that they activated the gateway? Would the team be stepping into the middle of an awaiting Hive force? Ace swapped in the Conspiracy Theory-D. He closed his eyes and stepped into the portal.


	25. Chapter 25

Ace didn’t experience the same kind of disorienting effect that he had expected. It was much more violent and jarring, yet abrupt. His body felt like it was being yanked in seven different directions at once as he passed through the portal, but it was only for an instant. The transition did affect his energy shield as he received an alert that the barrier had been damaged. The Hunter feared an ambush in that moment and reflexively brought his shotgun up, at the ready.

There were no enemies in sight.

The Exo blinked several times. He did not understand what did find awaiting his sight.

“Where the hell are we?” Kaizyn voiced his thought for him.

The three Guardians stood atop a small island in a vast, colorless empty space. A swirling black and grey fog filled the void all about them. Ace was reminded of the time that he had flown his Chasing Infinity through a massive thunder storm; the dark clouds were roiling in the heavy wind and blotted out almost all of the light. But there was no sound of wind in the place. The fog in the distance swirled and tumbled without any current.

“Hold on,” Mal replied, “Trying to determine our location now.”

“Guys,” Kaijae called out, “The crystal is broken.”

Kaizyn and Ace turned to see the Titan extend his hand and open it. In his palm was the crystal’s remains. It had broken into pieces and the blackness drained, leaving behind what appeared to be a handful of broken glass chunks.

“It happened during the transition,” Kaijae explained, “Just before I finished passing through, I felt it break apart in my hand.”

Zuko drifted down to inspect the debris. A few moments later, the ghost commented, “I believe that the crystal’s structure was fatally weakened by the destruction of the sword. Without the weapon housing it, the crystal could not maintain structural integrity under pressure.”

“I certainly felt plenty of that when we passed through,” Ace chuckled.

“Indeed, Ace,” Twilin responded, “It was quite the maelstrom of energy that we all just passed through. I believe we are quite lucky to have passed through unscathed.”

“Is there anything left to save?” Kaijae asked.

“I am afraid not,” Zuko answered, “It is no longer resonating with any kind of frequency and the power that I detected within has vanished.”

As Kaijae dumped the crystal pieces out of his hand, he looked to Mal. “Any thoughts yet on where we are?” the Titan prompted.

“I cannot get any reading that could help us identify our position,” Mal’s shell whirled rapidly with agitation.

“Wait,” Twilin called out, “I think I may know. Toland’s Journal.”

Zuko and Mal both exclaimed simultaneously, “The Ascendant Plane?”

“This definitely matches his description of the Sea of Screams that I read about in his notes,” Twilin explained, “The swirling grey nothingness all around us. Then there’s the fact that this rock we are standing on is just floating in space.”

Ace had not noticed that fact. He quickly moved to the nearest edge and looked down. The same grey fog filled the space directly below. The Hunter took a cautious step back away from the brink. He almost shuddered at the thought of falling into that emptiness. Would the fall be infinite?

“What is this...” Kaijae trailed off.

“Ascendant Plane,” Zuko offered.

“Thank you. What is the Ascendant Plane?” Kaijae asked.

Twilin turned to regard the Titan, “It is an extra-dimensional universe. A place that exists completely separate from our own universe and connected by trans-dimensional wormholes or gateways.”

“When I woke up this morning, I did not expect that I would be sightseeing in another universe,” Ace quipped.

“So, we are in another universe,” Kaizyn commented, “Where is Dôl Arnách?”

Twilin considered for a few seconds before replying, “The notes we have are not clear. This plane of reality responds to the power of whatever being has the strength to create a pocket space within it.”

Ace looked about the floating rock island. It was not impressively large by any means. They had not yet moved to the far end to inspect what lay over there, but the only feature that he could see was the stone archway. The Hunter did note that the gate was an exact duplicate of the one that they passed through on Earth and appeared to remain active. However, other than that, the island was flat and blank.

“How powerful would she have to be to create... this?” Ace tried his best not to sound so nonplussed.

“The fact that she was able to create anything of her own in this place means that she has a lot of power,” Twilin stated definitively.

“Ace, remember what she was able to do to you with her song,” Mal reminded the Hunter gently, “She almost killed us. She  would have if Deoxys hadn’t managed to surprise her.”

“She is powerful enough to have killed multiple Guardians,” Twilin added.

Ace nodded. He didn’t really understand how this place represented an extraordinary display of power, but the Exo trusted the ghosts. After all, they  _were_ standing somewhere in a completely different universe. “Speaking of her song,” Ace looked back to Mal, “How well shielded against its effects can we expect to be?”

“All three of you have had your shields modified to counteract her debilitating harmony,” Mal replied, “Since the song’s ability to create a metaphysical reaction is based on the specific resonance caused by the song creating a feedback loop with itself, your shields will now introduce another harmonic interference to disrupt that. This  should have the desired effect of preventing the song from causing a negative reaction.”

Ace blinked.

Zuko spoke up, “We think it will be effective, but cannot be certain. After all, who knows what kind of reaction  our interference frequency will generate.”

“Sounds great,” Kaizyn sighed before beginning to walk away from the portal, “Let’s go have a look and see what else is around here.”

Ace didn’t honestly see the point in exploring such a desolate place; he could already see from one end of the island to the other. However, the Hunter was a little curious to see what lay beyond the edge of the opposite end. Perhaps something had been carved into the face of the drop off. He suddenly looked down at the ground as the thought occurred to him that perhaps something had been carved into the stone surface beneath their feet.

But there was nothing on the floor to be seen. It was just as empty and bare upon closer inspection as it was upon first impression. The servos controlling Ace’s facial features did their best to imitate a furrowed brow as the Hunter tried to figure out what the purpose of this place was. Bread crumbs of information led them to the portal. A portal that was guarded by Acolytes and a complicated barrier lock. There had to be more to this pocket of the Ascendant Plane than met the eye.

Noting that the two Awoken had moved away from him, the Exo hurried to catch up. After a few moments, Ace noticed that he was having difficulty closing the distance quickly, despite the fact that he was running while the other two were walking leisurely.

“Hey guys!” Ace called out, “Hold up!”

Kaijae and Kaizyn both stopped and turned about. Kaijae responded, “What did you find?”

Ace shook his head, “I didn’t find anything, I just... Something weird is happening. I’ve been running to catch up to you two and I’m still all the way back here.”

Kaizyn looked back to the far end of the island before commenting, “I just noticed that we didn’t seem to be getting as closer to that edge of this rock as we should be. We’ve been walking for a couple minutes.”

“You’re right,” Kaijae’s tone was full of surprise, “We should practically be there.”

Ace glanced over his shoulder, to where Mal hovered close behind, “What’s going on, Mal?”

The ghost considered the question for a few seconds. The Hunter did not see any focused scans, but he could sense that his partner was evaluating the area on levels that he could not perceive. Finally, “There is a heavy spatial distortion field, Ace. It’s like space is being poorly compressed and then stretched out. You three are making progress, but it is like walking through water. Just without the extra effort.”

“Should we just turn back?” Kaizyn asked.

“It does not appear to be dangerous,” Mal replied, “The compression zone would have done the most harm if it was possible.”

“I think we should continue,” Kaijae suddenly spoke up, “This is another layer of security. We’re getting closer.”

“A barrier to trick intruders into believing there is nothing here and frustrating them out of investigation?” Ace mused.

Kaijae shrugged as he responded, “Wouldn’t something more open and threatening imply that there really is something of value to be found in this space?”

Then a voice, sounding like broken glass and cracking ice, resounded in his head, “It is even more useful at preventing thieves from escaping with any of my toys.”

Ace grunted as the sensation of a hot knife struck his temple. He stumbled a couple steps, as if he had been physically struck. Out of the corner of his eye, the Hunter noted that his Titan companions were experiencing a similar reaction. Through the blinding pain, however, he maintained enough presence of mind to identify the voice. Dôl Arnách.

“Perhaps, this time,” the Wizard continued, “it is the toys that it will prevent from escaping.”

Ace gritted his teeth and growled through the pain, “Do not worry about that. We do not intend to ‘escape’.”

_ “Hold on,” _ Mal’s voice inside the Hunter’s mind was soothing and clear. The Guardian cling to the comfort of it as his ghost continued,  _ “Adjusting the shield. I think I have it.” _

“This is so exciting,” Dôl Arnách replied. Ace noticed that the pain of her voice was significantly more bearable. “I have never had a toy come so far to find me. Are you the ones who killed my lieutenant? He did such a wonderful job of bringing me raw materials.”

_ “Getting closer. Keep her talking.” _

“Was he yours?” Ace could hear the timbre of his own voice grow more stable and firm, “That certainly was an interesting sword he had. We would love to ask you more about it. Where are you?”

“I am not far, little machine,” Dôl Arnách answered, “Yes. I remember you. And I remember the other Lightcursed you traveled with. His pain was a delight to behold-”

“Enough!” Kaijae roared, “Come face us!”

“I see that you brought more toys for me to dismantle,” Dôl Arnách ignored the Titan’s outburst. Ace still felt a sting with every word, but the pain was no longer overwhelming. The Wizard continued, “I cannot wait to feed on your pain, tiny soldiers of a dead god. I will put your Light to a real purpose after I have stripped it from your flesh and bones.”

 _ “That’s the best I can do,” _ Mal announced silently.

“You are a poor host,” Ace called out, “You leave your guests to wander at the foyer.”

“Guests?” the Wizard laughed, “Dôl Arnách does not sit at the table with vermin. I will put your various components to good use and I will have my fun, but you are insects. Your dead god has made you useful to me, but that is all. It has not elevated your station.”

“We  _ vermin _ will end you,” Kaizyn stated firmly.

Dôl Arnách laughed before replying, “Good. I await you.”

With that, Ace felt the Wizard’s presence abruptly vanish. He also felt the space about him “shift” subtly. The Hunter turned to make an observation to his companions and noticed that they were no longer a mere couple of meters away. Instead, the two Titans were presently over a dozen meters away.

“She banished the spatial distortion!” Mal declared.

Ace blinked. The “small island” that they had been traversing was now magnitudes larger than they had originally perceived. The Hunter had actually managed to cover only half the distance to the far end. The rock was still as empty and featureless as before, but Ace could now see other floating rocks in the distance, beyond the edge. He hurried to catch up to his teammates.

His progress was normal once again and he managed to reach the awaiting Titans in a few seconds.

“This trip has been just full of unpleasant experiences,” Kaijae muttered as the Hunter finally drew near.

“Yeah,” Kaizyn agreed emphatically, “If that was a taste of what you and Deo dealt with...”

“It was,” Mal answered, “It was not the full force of her song, but we were close enough to test the countermeasure.”

“Good thing, too,” Ace snorted, “It was still painful.”

“We managed to prevent another complete physical shutdown,” Mal countered, “She was trying to cripple you again. The interference frequency we introduced to your shields was mostly effective.”

“She committed a grave error, attempting to disable you from such a distance,” Twilin commented, “It gave us time to refine the frequency.”

Kaijae raised a hand to touch his helmet, near the point where it covered his left temple, “Well, that’s only one weapon of hers dealt with. That will not have been her complete arsenal.”

“Let us hope that Dôl Arnách is incapable of the Deathsong,” Twilin commented quietly.

“Toland really was mad,” Mal responded.


	26. Chapter 26

As the team approached the edge, Ace paused and called out, “We are walking into a trap.”

Kaijae stopped, but did not turn to face the Hunter. “We know,” he replied with a heavy sigh, “It’s the only reason she did not come attack us back there, near the portal.”

“She must have figured out that she cannot incapacitate us like before,” Kaizyn commented, “Perhaps Deo surprised her by defending against that attack. Maybe that’s why she made the attempt from far away?”

“Then did we show  _ our  _ hand?” Ace asked.

“We will be at this all day if we keep investigating every little logic trap we imagine,” Kaijae chided, “All that matters is that we keep moving. This isn’t the first trap we will walk into and I promise, it will not be the last.”

Ace nodded. He had, indeed, walked knowingly into many traps over the decades. Most were clumsy and obvious, but there were many that were quite cunning and extremely dangerous. Still, the Hunter felt a trepidation building up from within. This was an enemy that he did not understand with weapons that he honestly feared.

Again, Zavala’s warning replayed in his mind one final time. Ace’s instincts warned him to turn around and return to the portal. To contact the Vanguard and return with a sizable force of Guardians to purge this threat. But the anger in his heart, brought forth by Dôl Arnách’s mention of the torture she had inflicted upon his friend, made the Hunter take another step forward.

A series of smaller islands, similarly floating in the swirling abyss, spiraled down in multiple directions. Ace understood now why the space appeared so empty upon their arrival; the drifting rocks and tors were positioned such that the island blocked their existence from view.

“The target is always in the deepest tunnel,” Kaijae observed as he pointed into the distance far below. Ace directed his gaze in the direction that the Titan indicated and spotted another large island. It was difficult to determine how large the floating rock was in this place, without any clear point of reference or horizon, but the Exo felt confident that the distance was several hundred meters.

As he tried to determine the best path down, Ace noticed a telltale gleam appear from one of the closer rocks. “Get back!” he shouted as he pulled Kaijae away from the edge. Kaizyn, still a few steps away, halted.

A Void energy blast cut through the space Kaijae’s head had just occupied. Ace swapped to his scout rifle as he moved to the side a couple meters before peeking over the edge, at the source of the attack. Viewing through the Hung Jury’s scope, the Hunter spotted a Hive Adherent looking back at him, the barrel of its Soulfire Rifle trained on the Guardian. Ace was about to dive for cover when a loud clap of thunder, from Kaizyn’s LDR 5001, sounded off first. He looked back just in time to see the Hive sniper tumble backwards from the force of the shot. Kaizyn had destroyed it with a single bullet.

“Get going,” she commanded, “I’ll keep watch up here.”

Ace and Kaijae both exchanged nods and leapt out into the abyss. For a fraction of a second, the Hunter had a terrifying thought; what if Dôl Arnách had moved the spatial distortion field to the space between these floating rocks and islands? Would he and his Titan companion be unable to close the gap and then find themselves falling for infinity? The moment passed, though, as Ace realized that they were committed to their current course now.

Ace dropped onto the smaller rock only a second before Kaijae settled beside him. “I had a moment of panic that we wouldn’t be able to make that jump,” Kaijae commented.

Ace turned around and considered the distance they had just traveled. It was only a couple meters down, but the Hunter had needed to use both of his midair boosts to cover the distance across. It would be a tricky jump to get back. They would  _ all _ be tricky jumps to make when the team needed to return.

“I had the same moment,” Ace admitted, “I worried maybe  _ that _ was the trap.”

“Heads up, guys,” Kaizyn’s voice carried over the comm link, “You’ve attracted some attention.”

The two Guardians both flinched as flecks of stone showered them, thrown into the air by Soulfire Rifles and Shredders. Kaizyn responded with a pair of retorts from her sniper rifle.

Kaijae brandished his Eyasluna as he shouted, “Let’s do this!”

Ace rushed to follow the impetuous Titan in another long jump. He quickly ascertained the path that his teammate was taking and paused before leaping. The next platform in their path held a pair of Acolytes that were taking cover from Kaizyn behind a stalagmite-type of structure. The Hunter, however, could see them clearly as they made ready for Kaijae’s arrival. Both Hive soldiers quickly fell to his well-placed shots.

Ace received a powerful Void blast in return. He quickly spun away from the next attack as his armor’s sensors screamed at him; the Soulfire Rifle had managed to inflict considerable damage to his shields. Before Ace could reply with his Hung Jury, Kaizyn found the Adherent and destroyed it.

Ace looked down in time to observe Kaijae leap for a third island. This one was a bit larger and held a handful of Hive soldiers. The Acolytes there were focused on the dangerous Kaizyn far up above, trying to work out a way to respond to her deadly sniper fire, when Kaijae was suddenly upon them. The Titan hurled a grenade at a group of three that were clustered together behind a tall column and then turned to fire upon the other two with his hand cannon. They were all five destroyed before they even realized that he was there.

Ace eliminated several more Acolytes and Adherents while Kaijae moved on to a fourth platform. He noticed that all of the smaller islands were not nearly as flat and featureless as the much larger one that they had left. Outcrops of stone, large pillars, even a few crevices carved into the tops of some; all afforded the Hive cover from one angle or another. Once cleared, the Guardians were able to use the cover for themselves.

The Hunter watched Kaijae land on an empty sixth platform and then spotted Kaizyn moving down as well. She had eliminated all of the Hive occupying the upper levels of the islands. Ace saw the Titan pause to collect some ammunition that Twilin had managed to convert from the remains of an Adherent’s weapon.

The Hunter focused on another of the larger floating rocks far below. It was only a mere handful of platforms above the largest island at the bottom. Thanks to the spiraling curvature of the rocks, it was close to being directly below where he currently stood. The Exo made a quick calculation in his mind.

“Ace,” Mal’s voice filled his helmet, “What are you thinking?”

He didn’t respond. He jumped.

“Ace!” Kaizyn called out, “What are you doing?!”

As the Hunter plummeted toward the island that he had selected, he placed the scout rifle on his back while he simultaneously removed the shotgun. He tried to wave to Kaijae as he hurtled past the Titan’s current position.

“Ace?” Kaijae’s surprise and confusion was apparent as he shouted, “What the hell?”

As he fell past Kaijae, the Hive in the area noticed the diving Hunter and opened fire. Fortunately for the Guardian, he was now falling faster than they anticipated and every shot missed.

“You crazy bastard,” Kaijae muttered into the comm. Ace ignored the comment as he focused on the rapidly approaching stone floor. A half dozen Hive awaited him, spread out amongst and taking cover behind a handful of stone columns. The Exo noted a pair of Acolytes preparing grenade charges as he suddenly halted his downward progress with a midair boost.

The abrupt change to the Hunter’s trajectory resulted in the next volley of Hive weapons fire to miss by a wide margin. Ace smiled to himself as a powerful Void blast from an Adherent’s Soulfire Rifle passed under his feet and almost struck one of the Acolytes below. A handful of the faster-firing Acolyte Shredder shots did strike the Hunter, but the attacks merely stung his barrier, leaving only small tears in the regenerating shield. The heavier sniper attacks took longer to charge and Ace hoped he would land before any more of those attacks found him.

A fiery Solar charge arced over a barricade to settle at the spot where he was about to alight. The Hunter closed his eyes as his feet touched the ground. Before he could achieve any sense of balance, Ace hurled his body forward to the ground and rolled away from the Acolyte’s grenade. The charge erupted right as he regained his feet; the force of the explosion tore away a large chunk of his barrier. Ace detected the scent of burnt cloth.

“My cloak!” he snarled. Shotgun readied, Ace sprinted forward as Void weapon fire from above rained down, all around him. The Hunter’s erratic movement made him a difficult target. He became infinitely more troublesome as he moved about the stone columns.

At the first pillar Ace dodged behind, he had his knife ready and slashed the awaiting Acolyte. The attack stunned the Hive soldier and the Hunter dispatched it with a shotgun shell. As he sprinted to the next stone pylon, he chambered a fresh cartridge. The Acolyte here expected the Guardian, but wasn’t as quick. Another shotgun shell dispatched it before the Hive could attack.

The next Hive soldier was already in sight and had seen Ace dispatch its compatriot. Ace saw the Hive Shredder at the ready as the dead Acolyte fell to the floor. The Hunter quickly snatched a knife and hurled it. The soldier was able to get only a couple shots fired before the blade struck it in the chest. The Acolyte staggered a step as it hurriedly reached for the hilt, to pull the offending weapon out from its chest. Expecting a follow up attack, the Hive soldier was startled to see the Guardian move on. Then the knife exploded.

Kaizyn watched Ace make his mad dive out and down into the abyss. As she tried to figure out what had possessed the Hunter to expose himself like that, the Titan quickly searched for targets to eliminate. Twilin had managed to convert materials in a dead Hive’s weapon into handful of rounds for her sniper rifle. Knowing that the Acolytes, with their lighter arms, were not as much of a threat, she focused on the Adherents with their heavier sniper rifles.

With only a scant few rounds left, both in the magazine and in reserve, the Awoken was careful to make every shot count. However, she noticed that all of the Hive became focused on the plummeting Guardian. They moved out into the open so that they could fire upon the crazy Hunter. They didn’t even notice that she was destroying them.

With only a couple rounds left, Kaizyn watched Ace tumble away from the Acolyte’s grenade charge. She tried to find an opportunity to assist her teammate, but he was brutally efficient in his mad dash. The Titan witnessed him move from one point of cover to the next, eliminating Hive before they could react. Before she realized it, Ace had cleared his immediate area of combatants.

“I’m going to take cover for a minute to let my shields recharge,” Ace announced a second later.

She looked to where Kaijae was crossing from one platform to another. The Hive nearby were beginning to remember that Ace was not the only Guardian in the area and had begun shooting at the charging Titan once more. Kaizyn identified a pair of snipers and squeezed the trigger. Before she could confirm the kill, though, an explosion close to her side knocked the Titan over.

Quickly picking herself up, Kaizyn spun around as she tried to identify the source of the grenade charge. A Void blast struck the ground next to her, drawing the Titan’s gaze up to one of the floating rocks that they had already cleared.

Hive gathered at the island’s edge, aiming their weapons down at the exposed Guardian.

Kaizyn tumbled to the side before the first volley was fired. She slid into the small crevice to her left, hiding herself from the Acolytes that had managed to gather above. As the Titan tried to puzzle out how she had been so thoroughly flanked, she noticed a small gateway open in the air at a nearby island. A handful of Acolytes poured through the inter-dimensional doorway. “That’s cheating,” she growled.

“What was that?” Kaijae asked at the same moment that Ace called out, “What’s wrong?”

Kaizyn ignored them. Instead, she called out to Twilin, “How is your connection to the Light?”

“It’s tenuous, but still there,” Twilin replied via the comm link. The ghost’s voice became more serious as it added, “Why do you ask?”

“Ace!”

There was a slight pause as Ace finished eliminating a pair of snipers with his scout rifle. “Yes?” he responded.

“Get ready for a rez.”

“Wait!” Kaijae shouted. He had just shoulder charged into a trio of Acolytes, destroying all three with a burst of Arc energy, and turned back to look up at the island where Kaizyn was now pinned down. He was dozens of meters below, well beyond the point of being able to provide any assistance. “What are you-?”

Kaijae’s query was cut short as Kaizyn’s form suddenly appeared, leaping out into the void. Her trajectory was all wrong for her to safely land on any of the platforms nearby. “Have you both gone insane?” he screamed.

Before any Guardian could respond, a heavy Void blast from an Adherent’s sniper rifle struck Kaizyn’s left leg, destroying the energy shield there. As she drew near to the platform where Kaijae watched her fall, a barrage of lighter Void shots filled the air all around her. It was then that KaiJae understood that reinforcements had arrived to flank his team.

“Damn it!” the Titan shouted into the abyss before resuming his charge. Kaizyn had already committed herself to her leap of faith and there was nothing that could be done to change her course. Kaijae had no intention of making the same jump, though. His mate was drawing enough enemy fire as it was. He needed to eliminate as many Hive as possible if he wanted to help give her a chance of arriving at the bottom alive. Kaijae swapped his faithful Eyasluna for his trusted Felwinter’s Lie as he jumped for to the next platform. He had no more time for finesse.

The Titan surprised a pair of Adherents who were taking aim upon his beloved. He charged the first with his fist, shattering the chitin armor along with flesh and bone beneath. His shotgun obliterated the second and Kaijae was already leaping to the next platform even before their bodies slumped to the ground. At the next floating rock, he found a handful of Acolytes who were already firing at Kaizyn. With fist and Felwinter’s Lie, Kaijae dispatched the soldiers with the same savagery. As he prepared to push forward, the Titan spied an Adherent on an island far across from where he currently stood. Even if he pushed his Lift ability to its maximum distance, he would not be able to make the jump. The Hive sniper raised its heavy rifle.

Kaizyn’s thigh stung slightly as the Void energy from the Soulfire Rifle had managed to damage the physical armor beneath the energy shield. The barrage of Shredder blasts were only a nuisance in the moment, but they also weakened her barrier in other areas. The island where Ace currently hunkered down was rapidly approaching. The Titan began considering when would be the best moment to slow her descent; she was unable to instantly halt her fall like a Hunter or Warlock, when another heavy sniper blast struck her squarely in the left shoulder blade.

The force of the blow sent Kaizyn’s body spinning. Her armor’s energy shield had already been worn away by the dozens of lighter shots, unable to regenerate under the strain of repeated attacks. She tried to arrest her fall in that moment, to stop her body from rotating, but nothing would respond to her will. The taste of blood filled her mouth.

“Kaizyn!” Twilin’s voice screamed out. She knew that it was coming from the comm link speaker inside her helmet, but the ghost’s voice sounded muffled and distance. Kaizyn couldn’t understand why it seemed so faint. But she needed to worry about slowing her fall, the Titan knew. Maybe her helmet had been physically damaged and just needed Twilin to repair it once she managed to land safely near Ace.

Kaizyn slammed into the rock with a sickening thud.


	27. Chapter 27

Ace’s optics widened in horror as he witnessed Kaizyn’s tumbling body hurtle to the stone floor only a few meters away. The Hunter had looked up when Twilin’s scream of fear filled the comm link. At first, he expected the Titan to recover from the spin and arrest her mad descent. He could not fathom what had possessed her to make the jump. After all, Kaizyn was the most level-headed Guardian he had ever worked with; the perfect foil to her impulsive mate. As soon as he realized that she was not recovering control, Ace stopped puzzling over why she had jumped and instead began moving to get closer to where he anticipated she would land.

Twilin had already materialized over the dead Titan’s body by the time Ace arrived. He could see a feeble wave of light project from the ghost’s agitated frame. The ghost struggled to channel enough energy to effect a resurrection. As Ace approached, ready to offer his own Light assist, a heavy Void blast struck him. Pain lanced from his left shoulder to his fingertips as the force of the shot staggered the Hunter.

Raising his rifle, the Exo found the Hive sniper and returned fire. Despite the sharp pain in his shoulder, Ace was able to keep steady well enough to place all three shots into his target. The Adherent collapsed as the Guardian swapped a fresh magazine into the receiver. Before Ace could return to firing position and search for another target, several other heavy blasts struck the ground close to him. The Hunter quickly dodged to one side as he looked to the floating islands far above. Islands that he had already helped clear of all combatants. Islands that were swarming with Hive soldiers and snipers once again.

He understood now why Kaizyn had made the jump. He understood her cryptic comment as well. The Titan did not expect to survive. Better to die near one of her allies than to fall where she would be surrounded by the Hive. Ace rushed to Twilin and snatched the ghost out of the air.

“What are you-?” the ghost protested.

“You two are too exposed!” Ace hissed as he hoisted the Titan’s limp body over his uninjured shoulder. The pain was still intense. He would need to have Mal take a look; the Hunter suspected that the shot had managed to inflict serious damage to his upper arm. Ace managed to move Kaizyn and Twilin to relative cover behind a pillar without more than a couple stinging blows. As he set the Titan’s body down, the Hunter also released the ghost. “Here. Use my Light,” he commanded.

Twilin wasted no time establishing a link. A moment later, a freshly revived Kaizyn materialized in front of Ace.

“Thanks for the rez,” she greeted.

Ace saluted in response as he summoned Mal. “I need a repair,” he instructed the ghost, “My arm.”

Mal immediately began inspecting the damaged armor. The ghost commented as it analyzed, “The blast went completely through. Your shield absorbed some of the attack, but... that’s odd. There’s something wrong with your arm.”

“I know,” Ace sighed, “That’s why I need you to repair it.”

“No, that’s not it,” Mal explained, “I can repair the physical damage. No, there is something wrong, metaphysically.”

Kaizyn, who had been firing at the Acolytes occupying the platform almost directly across from their current position, paused and exclaimed, “We don’t have time! Fix his arm and let’s move!”

Mal immediately complied. Ace felt the pain in his arm disappear, only to notice a kind of strange coldness replace it. The Hunter’s arm responded as it normally did; he did not feel any lack of sensation or responsiveness. It simply felt wrong.

The Exo put the thought behind him as he focused on assisting Kaizyn with eliminating the Hive around them. Their current position was fairly secure. Even the islands that were almost directly above the Guardians were located at enough of an angle for them to retreat safely behind the pillars. The Hive would need to cross to their island to be able to push them out from the cover.

But that is exactly what the Hive would eventually do, Ace realized. That was why Kaizyn was urging them to hurry. While he reloaded his rifle, the Hunter took a moment to consider their destination. He hadn’t yet taken a good look at the lowest platform since he dropped down. It was much more massive than he first thought. The distance from the upper levels of floating rocks to their current position was much farther than he had originally estimated. Perhaps there had been more, lesser, spatial distortion fields in here. Either that, or it was simply difficult to accurately judge distances in the swirling gray abyss of the Ascendant Plane.

The remaining distance to the final island was covered by a simple, fairly straight tier of small rocks. These rocks formed a clear path and were so small that no Hive could effectively use them as a staging ground to launch any attacks. The island itself appeared as featureless as the topmost one, until Ace noticed a crevasse in the distance.

“Mal, mark that crack in the ground down there,” the Hunter instructed. “That’s our next target.”

“Understood,” Mal’s disembodied voice replied. The ghost had dematerialized shortly after repairing the damage to the Guardian’s arm and armor.

Returning his full attention to the fight, Ace began firing upon a pair of Adherents that had exposed themselves for too long. The second retreated away from the edge after the first fell. The Hunter then started searching for Kaijae in the chaos above. He knew that his teammate was still alive and fighting as the occasional grunt, punctuated by the periodic curse, carried over the comm link. The Titan was wreaking havoc upon the Hive soldiers, but had received many attacks in kind. While Kaizyn and Ace had made excellent targets of themselves and distracted many of the Hive, Kaijae was beginning to draw a significant amount of attention to himself.

“Good plan, Ace,” Kaizyn called out as she noticed the waypoint marker appear in her visor, “Jae! Can you join us soon?”

There was a few seconds of quiet before Kaijae finally answered, “I suppose I could make the same crazy leap that you two did. I just don’t look forward to getting shot down like that.”

Ace couldn’t blame his teammate. Nor did he believe it was very prudent to rely on a resurrection; the intensity of the barrage had managed to increase since he had helped revived Kaizyn. Despite the sheer number of Acolytes and Adherents the three Guardians had managed to kill, there seemed to be even more than ever now. Kaijae would not survive the jump. Nor would he survive much longer once the bulk of the Hive began focusing on him.

“How’s your cover right now?” Ace asked.

“It’s good,” the Titan answered.

“Hold there and let your shield recover. Let me know when it’s fully charged.”

“Yeah, I can-”

“ _ Fully _ charged,” Ace interrupted, “Don’t try to tell me you’re ready with only half your shields functioning.”

“Ace, even with full shields, I’m going to get obliterated if I go out into the middle like that,” Kaijae protested.

“I know,” the Hunter admitted, “But I’m going to give you the best chance you’re going to get. Kaizyn, be ready to move quickly if this doesn’t work.”

“You’re an idiot,” Kaizyn replied, “We are all idiots.”

Ace nodded. That was an understandable response. “Mal, I’m running low on ammo. We’re going to go get some.”

“Oh goody,” the ghost replied sardonically.

Moving from pillar to pillar, the Hunter positioned himself to make the jump up to the nearest platform above him. As he moved, Ace tried to move slowly enough to draw attention without becoming too easy of a target. He noticed that Kaizyn was moving about as well, attracting some of the weapons fire toward herself.

“I’m ready,” Kaijae’s voice was quiet, but steady.

“Okay. Count to fifteen and then make the jump,” Ace instructed. As he did, the Hunter stepped out from behind the cover and raced to the island’s edge.  _ “Thunderlord!” _ he shouted mentally. The Hunter Jury disappeared from his hands, only to be replaced with the heavier machine gun an instant later. Ace leapt.

He had just reached the rock’s very brink before his first jump. Two well-timed boosts carried the Hunter up onto the platform. As soon as his feet touched upon the rock, he dove forward into a roll. Multiple heavy rifle blasts tore into the ground where he had landed. As Ace rolled to his feet, he raised the heavy machine gun and fired upon the first target he could see.

The initial couple rounds went wild as the Hunter had not really steadied himself before firing, but he swiftly corrected. The fourth and fifth rounds found the targeted Acolyte and exploded. The lightning from the explosion connected with the two other Acolytes standing close by and those, too, were laid low.

Ace kept moving. He understood that standing in one place for more than a single moment would spell disaster. “Mal, I wasn’t joking about needing ammunition,” the Hunter commented.

“Oh! Sorry,” the ghost apologized, “One second.”

The thunderous roar and blinding flashes of Arc energy became a beacon for the Hive. Ace eliminated another grouping of of Acolytes before he was forced to dive behind a toppled column for cover from the overwhelming barrage of weapons fire.

“To your left,” Mal instructed, “That Shredder has components I can convert into ammo.”

The Hunter scrambled toward the Hive weapon as he tried to remain hidden. As he touched the Shredder, it disappeared as Mal transmatted the raw material away for conversion. Ace has grown so accustomed to the process, that he didn’t give it any thought; he simply focused on the platform closest to Kaijae’s.

The Titan had moved out from cover and leapt out toward the center. Ace saw the Titan appear as he jumped clear of the rock’s edge. The Hunter opened fire before he could get a steady bead on the Hive; he needed to keep attention upon himself. The first few shots struck the underside of the island before he could correct and adjust. The Acolytes moved back, away from the precipice and out of the Hunter’s line of fire. Ace simply turned sharply and fired upon a pair of Adherents. Again, the initial burst of fire struck the bottom of the platform, but Ace adjusted more quickly and was able to strike the snipers before they could hide. They erupted in a storm of Arc energy.

The Hive returned fire in response. Since he was standing on solid ground, Ace could dodge about and avoid the barrage. He allowed Thunderlord to reply a couple more times as Kaijae continued to fall toward Kaizyn.

As the Titan hit the ground, he shouted, “I’m here! Let’s go!”

Ace spun about and sprinted for the edge. Enemy fire followed him as he dashed away. Mal’s voice filled his helmet, “Are we going to make that jump safely?”

The Hunter ignored the question. He allowed his confidence to overflow in response as he made the first jump. Ace’s certainty came from the knowledge that he would not be falling straight down, nor would he be in the air for long. Kaizyn’s leap had made her an into easy target for a long time because she was falling straight down for several hundred meters.

Ace activated a boost as he passed the midpoint between platforms. Several stinging blows from Acolyte Shredders scratched his energy shield while a glancing blast from an Adherent’s Soulfire Rifle managed to tear a hole through the barrier around his shoulder. The heavier blast would have likely taken his head off if he had continued his jump’s original arc.

A second boost just before landing allowed the Hunter to smoothly transition into a run. “Any more ammo down here?” he grunted as he slid around the nearest column.

“The Shredder at your feet and another at the next pillar,” Mal answered.

Ace allowed himself a very slight sigh of relief. He had used the greater majority of his ammunition already and every little bit that his ghost could salvage was a blessing. The Hunter paused to allow Mal to gather the materials at both locations before finally joining his teammates. The pair of Titans shared cover behind the last column.

Kaijae, holding a wounded shoulder with one hand, waited patiently for Zuko to repair the damage. Apparently, Ace had not managed to attract  _ all _ of the weapons fire. “One more jump,” the Hunter stated, looking pointedly at the Titan’s shoulder before continuing, “How long until your shield is recharged?”

“Once Zuko is done, I’m good to go,” Kaijae replied. He even managed to sound cheerful.

“Don’t you dare,” Kaizyn hissed, “If you try to go out early, I will shoot you myself. Ace, give me your shotgun.”

Kaijae, shoulder now repaired, raised both hands in surrender. “So what’s the plan?” he asked, “Do you want to go ahead, Ace? Or do we go as a team?”

“As a team,” Kaizyn answered firmly. There was no compromise in her tone. She continued a moment later, “We can’t distract them from down here. Those snipers will just take us out, one by one, if we move individually.”

Ace briefly peeked around the column, nearly receiving a heavy Void blast in response. The path to their destination led further out,  _ away _ from the chain of rocks and platforms that had curved down to their current position. There were no islands directly above, but there would also be nothing between the Guardians and the Hive once they left their cover. “They’ll likely take one or two of us out either way,” he muttered. He had not thought this through.

“It’s a pretty good trap,” Kaijae commented.

“I’d say something about leaving me behind if I get killed,” Kaizyn began, “but I know you idiots better than that. Just make sure to get someplace safe before you help Twilin rez me.”

Ace nodded and replied, “Same goes for you. Save your Ward of Dawn for later.”

“Okay. My shield is recharged,” Kaijae announced.

The three Guardians nodded to each other and then turned to face the platform’s edge and the giant island awaiting them below. Even though he didn’t have lungs, Ace took the same deep breath that his Awoken teammate did. Nerves thusly steadied, the three began their sprint.


	28. Chapter 28

It was apparent that their decision to rush off to the farthest end of the island was a surprise to the Hive. Shredders and Soulfire Rifles began firing to the left and right of the team as their wielders had expected the Guardians to break to the side. By the time that the Hive realized what direction the fireteam was truly heading, they had already made the first jump.

The trail of floating rocks and boulders were barely large enough for the team. Ace decided to pause his next jump, to ensure that he didn’t jostle one of the Titans and cause them to go hurtling out into the abyss. A bad bump at the wrong moment and their trajectory could be irreparably thrown off. Ace was to only one who could truly dramatically change direction.

As it so happened, the sudden pause resulted in a heavy rifle blast missing the Hunter by a hair’s breadth. A rainstorm of Hive weapons fire had filled the air around the Guardians. It seemed as if those shots that managed to strike them were as much by luck as intention. Fortunately, none of the attacks managed to deal any substantial damage as the team raced down the path of floating rocks. Ace almost smiled as he pictured himself practically skipping; the jumps were so short, yet close together.

The Hunter also noticed that the sensation of coldness in his left arm had begun to diminish. The feeling had originated at the point of impact and continued all the way down to his hand, but now it didn’t begin until between his bicep and elbow. This revelation, coupled with the fact that his arm continued to function normally, gave the Exo cause to start worrying less about the damage he had incurred. Still, he did not want to be struck in such a way again.

Ace considered turning about and returning fire, to try and send some of the Hive scrambling for cover. But he immediately dismissed the thought with a mental laugh. There were dozens upon dozens of platforms with Acolytes and Adherents, all waiting for a clean shot at the racing Guardians. It was a miracle, sheer luck, that saw the three of them manage to make it this far. If Ace hadn’t made his insane leap, before the reinforcements began arriving, he wouldn’t have been able to help revive Kaizyn. If he and Kaizyn hadn’t secured the lowest island, they would have all three been trapped. Perhaps they could have fought their way down, as a team, reviving each other whenever any one of them fell. But it would have been much more likely that they would have been overwhelmed when they had to pass over a platform that was sparse on cover.

It had been a very good trap.

As they neared the end of the path, only a short few jumps to the final island, Ace’s eyes flicked to the radar. The Acolytes and Adherents behind them were now far enough away that they registered only at the far edge of his sensor’s ability to detect. There were no readings of any potential danger from in front of the team. The Hunter spared a glance over his shoulder, visually confirming that none of the Hive were pursuing the team. The Acolytes, with their shorter range weapons, had mostly stopped firing and were now hurling taunts in their screeching language. The Adherents, with their long range sniper rifles, continued to fire upon the fleeing Guardians. Ace had been grazed by multiple Soulfire Rifle blasts, but no direct hits. Kaijae was favoring his right leg as a heavy Void charge had pierced his shield and punctured the armor at some point during their descent. But none of the Hive attempted to actively pursue the fireteam.

As he began to puzzle over that fact, Ace made the final jump to reach the last island. Halfway across the gap, the Hunter experienced a bright flash of light and then his shield alert activated. He could hear his barrier get shredded as he passed through an energy field. Where the barrier had already been damaged by the Hive weapons, Ace experienced a brief, but intense, burning sensation. He saw Kaijae stumble upon landing as the same phenomenon struck his wounded leg.

Ace looked to his forearm, where an Adherent’s rifle blast had torn a sizable rent in his shield. The vambrace showed signs of being burnt.

“What the hell was  _ that _ ?” Kaijae exclaimed, clutching his leg.

“We’re still too exposed,” Kaizyn responded as she moved to help support her wounded mate. Kaijae put an arm around the other Titan and accepted her assistance as the two hurried toward the crevasse.

Ace moved to place himself bodily between the distant Hive snipers and the the Titans. He was relatively unharmed and could afford to take one for the team as they made their way to cover.

“It appears that Dôl Arnách does not trust her fellow Hive,” Mal commented into the comm link.

“Agreed. We are still using the same frequency on your shields that got us through the portal,” Twilin explained, “That energy field was completely unaffected by the new frequency. And it attempted to do much more than just destroy your shields. That field is powerful enough to destroy any of those Hive back there if they attempted to pass through.”

“Yeah, my leg is in really bad shape,” Kaijae’s voice was strained.

“That explains the lack of pursuit,” Ace muttered before hurrying to move into a supporting position on Kaijae’s other side. Hoisting the wounded Titan up between himself and Kaizyn, the Hunter said, “Let’s hurry and get to that crack in the ground.”

Kaizyn grunted in response and doubled her pace. Kaijae made no sound as he simply focused on trying to keep his feet out of the way of his teammates. A couple minutes later, the three Guardians reached the edge of the crevasse. A pair of heavy rifle shots had managed to strike both Ace and Kaizyn, but the distance had caused the majority of the energy to dissipate. Their recharging shields were able to successfully deflect the rest.

Kaizyn rushed ahead of the other two Guardians to inspect the wide crack in the ground. As Ace and Kaijae drew close, she jumped over the edge and then called out, “Come on down! I can catch Jae!”

Kaijae didn’t wait for Ace to assist him to the edge; he just jumped over and dropped down. Ace followed close behind and watched his companion attempt to slow his fall. The wounded leg affected the Titan’s proficiency at controlling his Lift; the ability caused him to veer sharply as soon it was activated. Kaijae cut off the Lift just before he could slam into the cliff wall, letting himself fall the final couple meters. Kaizyn rushed forward to catch and support him.

Even as Ace landed a mere second later, Zuko had already materialized and began inspecting the damage done to the Guardian’s leg. The Hunter took a moment to inspect their surroundings before paying attention to the Titan’s ghost. The team had dropped into the fissure very near to the starting point. The walls were only a couple meters apart where they currently stood and joined together about ten meters away. The team had dropped close to twenty to reach their current position, but the floor had a noticeable downward slope. Ace noted that when the team resumed their journey, they would quickly find themselves several dozen meters below ground.

“I don’t like this,” Zuko’s concerned comment cut through the Hunter’s thoughts. Ace looked back to where the ghost hovered near the blasted right cuisse, inspected the armor and the Awoken’s thigh underneath. After a few moments, the ghost finally continued, “I can definitely repair the damage, but there is something wro-”

“Let me see,” Mal interrupted, unfolding in the space next to Zuko. Mal moved in close to the Titan’s leg for a couple seconds before floating over to inspect Ace’s shoulder. A moment later, Mal announced, “The damage is the same. I believe the weapon has actually managed to strip the Light from your leg and your arm.”

Ace lifted his hand and looked down. “The coldness has started going away,” he commented quietly.

“That’s good to hear,” Kaijae replied, testing his weight on a freshly repaired leg as Zuko moved to begin repairing the armor next.

“Yeah, but what if something other than my arm or your leg had been hit?” Ace wondered aloud.

Mal’s shell whirled as the ghost considered the question before it answered, “It would take several blows. As long as your connection to the Light remains intact, you can recover.”

“Was this one of Dôl Arnách’s weapons?” Kaizyn suddenly asked.

Kaijae looked up sharply. After a couple seconds, he responded, “It would have to be. We’ve never seen a weapon that was capable of  _ this _ before.”

Still looking at his hand, Ace asked, “Should we go back?”

“Run away?” Kaijae sounded angry.

Ace looked over to the Titan and quickly answered, “No. Should we go back up there and find that weapon?”

“It does need to be destroyed,” Kaizyn murmured.

Kaijae looked up to the cliff top and replied, “I can’t make it back up right now. I’m stuck in the bottom of this crack until the Light returns to my leg.”

“My arm works fine,” Ace began, “You should be able to walk-”

“The power is gone,” Kaijae cut in, “I can feel it. I can run and jump, but I can’t Lift. Not well enough to get all the way up there.”

Ace went silent.

“Is this the true power of Dôl Arnách’s weapons?” Kaizyn asked a moment later, breaking the silence. 

“Yes,” Mal answered, “The weapons she has catalogued in the World’s Grave have been progressing. We suspected that she was close to achieving this level of effectiveness from what information she  _ has _ submitted for record into the Hive archive.”

“Damn,” Kaijae let his head fall back to rest against the rock wall, “This really is the Thorn. Maybe worse.”

“All the more reason to destroy her,” Ace commented.

“Like we needed more,” Kaizyn muttered. Ace nodded in agreement. Deo’s murder was plenty of reason.

Kaijae unholstered his hand cannon and released the cylinder, checking the ammunition. Ace followed suit, refreshing the magazine feeding his machine gun before checking his other weapons. Kaizyn hesitated before sliding a fresh magazine into her auto rifle’s receiver. Kaijae glanced over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Just a little scared,” she admitted, “How many more of those guns is she going to have in there?”

“So am I,” Ace replied, holding up his left hand. The coldness had diminished to the elbow, leaving only his hand and forearm afflicted. “We’ll get her, though. She can’t have very many tricks left.”

Kaijae stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Kaizyn’s shoulder. “Ace has a good point. She’s shown her hand. We stick together and take care of one another, we should be fine.”

Kaizyn nodded slightly and stated, “Let’s go.”

Ace patted her on the shoulder as he moved ahead and began walking down the trench. The floor was fairly level, composed mostly of debris and small rocks that had settled into the space where the two walls met below their feet. The Hunter occasionally had to step around a larger piece of debris or over a larger rock jutting out. As the crevasse deepened, so did the channel widen.

The path contained many sharp turns and curves as it winded its way deeper into the island. Despite the lack of any light source, the team was able to see just as clearly in the bottom of the trench as they did up above. Ace considered asking Mal about the source of light in the Ascendant Plane, but dismissed the idea. He needed to focus on the path ahead. The Hunter doubted very much that they had encountered the one and only trap to be found in this strange place. There would be more, he was certain.

“Ghosts?” Kaizyn called out, “Didn’t you say that this place was  _ created _ by the Wizard?”

“Yes,” Mal answered over the comm link, “Toland’s Journal states that every pocket Ascendant Plane is fashioned by the owner. They impose their will upon the chaos of the Sea of Screams to create whatever they want.”

Twilin’s voice followed, “The creator is honestly limited only by the amount of power they are able to wield and their strength of will.”

“She could create whatever she wanted and chose this?” Kaizyn mused.

“Maybe she  _ likes _ living underground,” Kaijae offered.

“She’s paranoid,” Ace stated, “Look at that energy field we had to pass through. She would kill her own servants if they attempted to get this close to her innermost sanctum.”

“An underground home is the perfect place to stay when you don’t want anyone to spy on you,” Kaijae commented.

As the team rounded a sharp bend, the path suddenly split in two. Ace considered the separate channels with a heavy sigh, “It’s never simple, is it? Why can’t it ever just be simple?”

“I’m sure that you’ve done something to deserve it,” Kaijae quipped as he stepped next to the Hunter.

Ace looked up to see if there were any clues in the cliff walls above, but was surprised to notice that there was now a ceiling overhead. The cliff walls came together and appeared to reconnect a couple dozen meters above. The open-sky trench had transitioned into a tunnel at some point during their trek. The Hunter dismissed the revelation almost immediately as it did not help him decide which direction to take.

Kaizyn took a step forward and extended her hand. Twilin unfolded in the air above her palm. Kaizyn addressed them ghost, “Do you have anything that could help?”

Twilin spun about and moved to inspect the intersecting tunnels. After a few moments, the ghost returned to Kaizyn and answered, “I am sorry, but there is nothing that I can detect to help guide you.”

Kaizyn nodded as she dismissed her ghost. The Titan turned to the others and said, “Ace. Heads or tails?”

“Umm... Tails?” the Hunter answered.

“Tails. That’s the left tunnel,” Kaizyn replied and started walking toward the indicated opening.

Ace shrugged. They truly had no real way to decide which course was best and Kaizyn’s arbitrary process was honestly as good as anything else they could have come up with. He and Kaijae both hurried to catch up to their teammate.


	29. Chapter 29

Shortly after passing through the first intersection, the team came upon another. Again, with no detectable signals or energies available for the ghosts to investigate, Kaizyn repeated her selection process and the team took the right tunnel. After a pair of sharp turns, the Guardians arrived at a third intersection.

Kaijae stopped his companions with a raised hand while he summoned Zuko with the other. “Have you been tracking our progress?” he asked the little robot.

“Of course,” the ghost answered with a tiny twitch of its metallic shell.

“Good,” Kaijae replied, “Map our progress and let me know if we wind up crossing our own path. I feel like we have doubled back already.”

“Your intuition is accurate,” Twilin announced as she appeared next to Kaizyn, “You three are sixty meters from the first intersection on the other side of that wall.” The ghost turned to shine a light on the indicated wall to the right of the current fork in front of them.

“Hey, Kaizyn?” Ace called out, “Which one would have been the left tunnel?”

“Heads,” the Titan answered.

“I choose heads,” the Hunter chuckled. 

The ghosts vanished as the Guardians pushed forward into the left hand tunnel. They traversed many junctions, each one separated by a number of twists and turns. It was an extremely disorienting experience for the fire team, made frustrating when Zuko announced that they were about to come to an intersection that they had already passed through. 

With a heavy sigh, Kaijae asked, “How far back?”

“You three passed through here eight junctions ago,” the ghost answered. An indicator appeared in their helmets as Zuko continued, “We passed through this tunnel.”

Kaizyn considered the indicated tunnel and then the other, the tunnel that had originally delivered them to this junction. “Do we go back down and choose the other path at the next fork? Or do we go back that way and choose a completely different path?”

Ace’s head began to swim with the myriad of possible choices before them. There were several dozen points that they could return to and choose a different option. What if the correct option was the one that they had just left behind before arriving back at this point? Ace spun about to look at the tunnel they had just passed through, as if a visual inspection would help the Exo determine if returning in that direction was the correct decision.

He felt despair begin to well up from within.

A cold chill suddenly crawled across the Hunter’s shoulder blades as a slight stinging sensation pricked at his skull. A cold voice whispered at the three, “Very good. Your fear is delicious and will make your eventual pain into a gourmet feast.”

Shaking off the invasive, alien sensations, Ace raised his weapon and turned about as he searched for the source of Dôl Arnách’s voice. As he did, the Exo noted that he no longer felt any coldness at all in his arm. Instead, he felt the slight pinprick of a thousand tiny needles assailing him from every angle, but it was only a minor discomfort at best. 

_ “Ace,” _ Mal’s voice came to him mentally,  _ “She is attempting to wield the song again.” _

The Exo grinned under his helmet. He feigned a pained strain in his voice as he shouted, “Where are you, Wizard? Why won’t you face us?”

The disembodied voice laughed low, sounding like gravel and broken glass mixing together, “You are not yet ready. Your pain will be lasting, but Dôl Arnách would dine on your fear as well. You will be collected when you are ready.”

Still forcing himself to sound like he was struggling to speak, Ace challenged, “Sounds to me like you are the one that is afraid. Come! Face us and our Light!”

“Fool!” the voice screeched in anger, “Your Light will be stripped from you! Dôl Arnách will tear your soul apart as the Light is flayed from your metal bones. Your Light is nothing more than a resource to be harvested. You lead yourselves to the slaughterhouse. Dôl Arnách will make good tools of your precious Light.”

_ “Ace, look up,”  _ Mal instructed.

The Hunter did as he was asked and spotted a tiny orb, encased in a stony chitin. The orb had a darker point that moved slightly, making it appear like an eyeball. The orb glowed with a dark amethyst, blending well into the deep gloom of the ceiling above.

 _ “A tiny Shrieker,”  _ Mal observed,  _ “The Wizard is projecting through that.” _

Ace raised his rifle and fired upon the construct. The disembodied voice hissed with agitation as the first couple rounds struck the orb. He shouted, “If you wanna chat, come do it in person.”

As soon as the Hunter began firing, the Titans joined him. Before he could complete his sentence, the little Shrieker had shattered and the pieces fell to the ground. The radiating energy within the orb dissipated into nothingness.

“I think that’s a good sign that we’re on the right track,” Kaizyn stated cheerfully.

Only momentarily buoyed by the destruction of Dôl Arnách’s construct, the despair began to return to the Hunter. “Or a sign that we are where she wants us,” he replied, frustrated. He was angry at the sense of hopelessness that he could feel invading his own thoughts.

“I’ll admit, this is a very good trap,” Kaizyn began, “This one is designed to wear us down in spirit while that gauntlet we had to run up there was trying to debilitate or outright kill us. This one is much more insidious. However, we have time on our side.”

“She’s right,” Kaijae admitted with a laugh, “We can’t die of old age. It’s only a matter of time before we find the correct passage.”

The gloom began to fade as Ace chuckled in response. Kaizyn was absolutely correct. He wanted to find the Wizard as quickly as possible because he wanted to avenge his friend. But that same anger would sustain him as they investigated hundreds of tunnels in this maze. He just needed to remember that fact.

“I’m glad that we have sorted that out,” Kaizyn commented, “Now, is their something wrong with your shield, Ace? You sounded like you were getting hit pretty hard a moment ago. I don’t know about Jae, but I only felt some mild discomfort.”

“No, I just don’t want her to know that her attack is useless,” Ace explained.

“Good call,” Kaijae laughed before turning back to the tunnels and the decisions that lay before the team. After a moment, he held out an open hand. Zuko unfolded in the space over his palm. “We need an estimate. Which path is most likely to take us further into the maze?”

Zuko’s shell whirled as it answered, “You three have passed through fifty one junctions. If we orient the main trench that we entered from at the south, then you have been traveling in an easterly direction. Do you want to travel north or west?”

Ace spoke up quickly, “West would have us traveling over ground we already covered. Where is the northernmost point we can begin?”

“Four junctions,” Zuko answered as the indicator in their visor changed. Back down the original tunnel that had delivered them to this intersection the first time.

Ace turned to his teammates and asked, “What do you guys think?”

Kaizyn shrugged and Kaijae replied, “Sounds good to me. I guess it really just depends on what kind of maze this is.”

Kaizyn looked to her mate and responded, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, think about those menus that Saldo prints up and gives to little kids that eat at his place. They have mazes that go from one end to another, while some weeks the mazes go from one end to the center,” Kaijae explained.

Ace almost laughed at the Titan comparing their current situation to a children’s menu at a restaurant, but Kaijae had a very good point. Instead, he simply nodded, “Well, if it’s one of those ‘go to the center’ mazes, we can always change course.”

As the three Guardians turned and began walking through the appropriate opening, Kaizyn muttered, “I swear, after hearing Jae mention child menus, if you had made a joke about Titans eating crayons...”

Ace grinned and just let the threat hang.

Several minutes later, the team stood in front of the junction selected by Zuko. Just as they stepped through the opening, Mal shouted into the comm link, “Behind you!”

Ace instinctively dove to the floor in a twisting somersault, landing on his feet and facing in the opposite direction that he had been facing. Kaijae had grabbed Kaizyn’s arm to pull her behind him as he stepped protectively between her and whatever danger was coming at them.

From around the bend that they had just passed, a Knight came charging at the fireteam, sword raised and ready to strike. Ace swiftly gauged the distance and swapped in his Conspiracy Theory. As Kaijae moved forward to stand beside the Hunter, he noticed that the Titan had likewise equipped his Felwinter’s Lie. As the Hive warrior drew close, both Guardians fired in unison.

The Knight paused a step as it staggered under the force of the two blasts. Ace leapt back a step as he chambered a fresh shell, avoiding a heavy swing from the dangerous sword. Conversely, Kaijae stepped forward, up to the hulking creature’s left side. Again, the two Guardians fired in unison. The blast from Ace’s shotgun caught the Knight in the face and tore away chunks of chitin from the Hive’s helmet. Kaijae’s shotgun barrel, however, was practically in the Knight’s left armpit. The Hive sword fell to the stone ground with a clatter as the left arm went limp.

With a roar of outrage, the Knight turned and frantically swung a heavy fist with its remaining good arm. Kaijae took a lazy step back, letting the clumsy swing fall short. Before either the Hunter or the Titan could fire again, the warrior fell.

Ace looked down at the lifeless form and quietly commented, “Not much of a minotaur.”

Kaijae looked up sharply, confusion coloring his tone as he replied, “What? There’s no Vex here.”

Ace, reloading his shotgun, looked over and answered, “No. It’s from a myth. There was a minotaur in a maze and then there was a guy named Theseus- never mind.”

Kaizyn stepped forward, looking down at the Hive sword on the ground, “Was there more than one in that myth?”

Ace shrugged, “I don’t think so, but doesn’t matter. We are far from Crete. Or wherever Knossos is located.”

“Wait. Where?” Kaijae, still confused, returned his shotgun to his back.

“I’ll loan you my copy of the book when we get back,” Ace calmly stated. He looked back down at the dead Knight and remarked, “The important thing to know is that we are not alone in this labyrinth.”

“And she has Shriekers spying on us all over the place,” Kaizyn commented as she pointed to the ceiling. In the deep shade, at the apex of the walls’ juncture point, Ace spotted another one of the small constructs.

Kaijae swiftly unholstered his hand cannon and opened fire. With a handful of sharp retorts, the Shrieker fell to the floor in pieces. Ace looked to the Titan and commented, “I wonder if we should conserve our ammunition.”

The Titan shrugged as he ejected the spent rounds from the weapon’s cylinder and began replacing them. “You’re probably right. But why make it easy for her?”

Ace couldn’t refute that logic and turned back to the tunnel. He led his thoughts back to the puzzle of the maze.  At least our ghosts are a much more reliable method of navigating this maze than a ball of string , he thought to himself.

The team quickly moved on. Knowing now that there were Hive Knights patrolling the labyrinth with swords in hand, Ace kept his trusted shotgun at the ready. He suspected that it would only take one attack from one of the warriors to down a Guardian. They had to be drawing close to Dôl Arnách’s sanctum and she would have placed her strongest safeguards here. If she maintained an energy shield that would destroy the rest of her minions, then the Hive she  did allow to patrol this space would be trustworthy to her. Trustworthy enough to be awarded a weapon like the sword wielded by Crag’noth?

He kept this thought to himself. Ace didn’t know if sharing his theory would impact his teammates in a negative way as they all had strong feelings regarding that sword and what it had done to Kaijae.

The Guardians spent the next several minutes progressing through a handful more intersections and junctions. A couple of times, Kaijae summoned Zuko to get input on the course that would continue taking them in the “northernmost” direction.

As they drew close to their sixth, it was Kaizyn that warned the team about the approaching danger. She heard the slight sound of footsteps ahead and cried out, “There’s another!”

The tunnel was making a sharp left turn and around that corner, stepped another Knight. Ace was standing closest and merely dropped to the floor as the warrior’s sword cleaved the air where he had been standing. The blade passed close enough to damage the Hunter’s energy shield. His optics went wide with panic as he realized how close he had just come to being cut in two.

Impossibly quick, the Knight recovered from the failed attack and swiftly brought the massive blade up high. Ace realized that he was currently laying on the floor and had failed to react quickly enough to recover before the blade fell. Fortunately for the prone Hunter, Kaijae had not panicked and his Felwinter’s Lie was ready before the Knight was. A blast from the shotgun stunned the Hive.

Ace was about to roll to his feet when another shout from Kaizyn stopped him. “Ace! Stay!” she commanded.

The Hunter barely had time enough to register the instruction when an explosion sent him tumbling. The blast wave tore away the remainder of his shields as the heat scorched his boots and cloak. The Knight, however, was no more as a smoking ruin collapsed to the floor. Ace glanced back at Kaizyn to see the Titan dismiss her rocket launcher and retrieve her auto rifle.

“Surely there is a more strategic way to dodge an attack than that?” Kaizyn asked, rhetorically.

Ace nodded as he rose to his feet. As he did, the Hunter noted that his stance felt uneven and looked down to his feet. The sole of one of his boots had been melted by the blast. “I want to make a joke about boot polish, but I can’t think of anything other than the fact that I was almost cut in half just now,” he commented.

“Maybe next time you roll  _away_ from the attack and not just drop to the floor,” Kaizyn replied with a giggle.

Ace didn’t have any response other than to nod at the obvious wisdom as he summoned Mal. A couple minutes later, Ace strode away from the scene on freshly repaired boots.


	30. Chapter 30

Ace lost track of time as the team attempted to navigate the maze. He struggled internally as he fought off the creeping frustration. Hopelessness threatened to swell up when Zuko declared that the team had inadvertently doubled back onto a junction that they had already passed through, but the ghost’s alert also served to remind him that they had a sort of guide that could reliably help them plot their course. That knowledge, safely nestled at the back of his mind, helped the Guardian keep his wits straight.

After returning to the intersection that would see the team traveling back in the direction they wanted, Twilin suddenly materialized. “Guardians, I suspect that you have reached the furthest point ‘north’ possible,” the ghost announced.

Ace halted at that information. He turned to consider the opening that they had first taken when passing through. The tunnel had turned sharply to the left shortly after and they had failed to realize that every turn thereafter had taken them either east or south. Still, there are as no reason he could think of to assume that they couldn’t continue traveling north if they took a different tunnel. “Why do you think that?” he finally asked.

“While it was very difficult to get a reliable scan of this island on our way down, I estimate that we ventured within a few meters of where I would calculate the edge to be,” Twilin explained.

Ace turned to look at the pair of Titans. Kaizyn asked the ghost, “What are the chances that your calculation is accurate?”

As Twilin’s shell spun erratically, Kaijae spoke up, “Does it matter?” As the other two Guardians turned to regard him, he continued, “I mean, we can keep trying to move in whatever direction we want, but if that isn’t an option, we will just need to decide on a new course.”

Ace nodded. Kaijae was right. The Hunter had decided on an arbitrary course of direction without any real reasoning behind it. While it had felt reassuring to have a perceived goal in mind to guide them, they knew from the outset that it could have been wrong.

“We’ll keep trying to go north, but let’s start heading west now. Perhaps we’ll find our exit as we move that way,” Kaizyn offered.

“Poor little morsels,” Dôl Arnách’s voice came to the team, accompanied by the same sensations of discomfort. Ace groaned aloud; not out of pain but from a general lack of patience for the Wizard’s intrusion at this time. The voice continued, “I can smell your despair. Your precious Light cannot help you here. You are lost and Dôl Arnách will collect you soon.”

“Good!” Kaijae roared, “I’m getting tired of this. Come and face us already.”

Dôl Arnách laughed. The sound grated on the Hunter’s ears and left him with an odd sensation; something like the memory of a sharp pain of an object driven into the side of his skull. The Wizard continued, sarcasm and scorn dripping from her tone, “Such a stalwart warrior. So ready to destroy your enemies with your Light. So utterly pathetic. You have been touched by the Dark and you squander it. Dôl Arnách will enjoy destroying you most of all.”

Ace had found the Shrieker by this time and had heard enough. His Hung Jury rang out several times; an entire magazine’s worth, and the construct fell to the ground. “I’m really getting tired of her shit,” he muttered.

“You and I both,” Kaijae delivered a friendly clap to the Hunter’s shoulder. Ace just shook his head, loaded a fresh magazine into his rifle, and stepped through the westernmost opening.

As he began walking, Ace listened carefully. The last time that the Wizard had stopped the fireteam, they had been ambushed. He swapped to his shotgun and whispered in the comm, “Be ready for another ambush.”

Kaizyn responded just as quietly, “Do you hear something?”

“No. But I found it interesting that we were attacked the last time she tried talking to us,” Ace answered as they continued forth, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was simply trying to distract us.”

Seven strides later, the attack came.

This time, a trio of Knights came charging around a bend in front of the team. The cramped space didn’t allow for the Hive warriors to spread out, so they actually gave away their position as one of the swords scraped against a stone wall. The three Guardians heard the sound and were ready for the attack.

Mostly. They were not expecting multiple Knights to appear. However, the team responded quickly and efficiently upon seeing more than one enemy before them. Ace and Kaijae both hurled their grenades at the ground near the approaching Knights, only a couple feet in front of the charging warriors. The timing was perfect as both charges erupted right as the Hive stepped next to them. Kaizyn opened fire with her auto rifle just before the grenades exploded.

Ace’s grenade was a raw, concussive explosion that caused the two Hive to stagger, disoriented by the blast. Kaijae’s grenade erupted into a contained dome of wild Arc energies. The combined energies tore into the warriors and their skeletal, chitinous armor. Chunks fell away from their large frame and Kaizyn was quick to focus her Shadow Price on the first exposed area she could see. Hive blood quickly joined the shards of chitin that flew into the air as the wounded Knight tried to shake off the effects of the grenades.

Seeing the first Hive warrior so grievously wounded already, Ace and Kaijae both focused their attention on the second. The two Guardians held shotguns in hand as they moved to close the distance before the Knight could recover. Ace soon noticed, after covering only half the distance, that the warrior was beginning to move forward. The Hunter paused and was about to shout a warning to his Titan companion when he heard Kaijae’s laughter drift across the comm link.

The Striker Titan kept charging forward, a grin plastered to his face and a laugh on his lips. The Knight was completely off balance, even though it was moving, and could not bring its sword to bear in time for what he had planned.

The Hive warrior had noticed the charging Titan and tried to lift the heavy sword for a downward slash. It expected the Guardian to stop short and bring his gun to bear. The Knight knew that it could survive a blast from the weapon long enough to deliver his own blow. The Hive would surely destroy the Titan in exchange for an insignificant shotgun blast.

Kaijae did not stop short. He kept running and hurled himself forward, under that descending blade and right into the Knight’s body. His shoulder slammed into the warrior’s chest as Arc energy exploded outward from the Titan’s body. The Hive warrior was sent stumbling backward as the Titan strode forward. And it was now that the Guardian put his weapon to use. The barrel of Felwinter’s Lie was leveled inches from the Knight’s exposed neck when Kaijae fired.

Ace had realized the Titan’s intent when he saw him continue charging, so he focused on the second Knight. Already grievously wounded from Kaizyn’s assault, the second warrior was still able to fight. Ace rushed forward and fired once to get the Hive’s attention. He knew that the damage would be minimal, but he cared only that the Knight didn’t cut his companion down from behind. The attack had the desired effect as the Hive warrior lunged toward the Hunter.

Ace threw himself to the ground, sliding on his back as the sword passed through the air above him. This time, the Hunter was ready to retaliate. His Conspiracy Theory-D thundered as a blast tore into the Knight’s midsection. Chitin and flesh flew away as Ace quickly racked a fresh shell into the chamber. The Knight took a step back, moved as much by the force of the blast as to get into a better position to attack. The Hunter rolled forward to his feet, staying as close as possible to the Hive warrior so that its sword couldn’t be brought to bear. The Knight tried to retreat, but another shotgun blast tore into the same place as before. The Hive dropped to one knee and struggled to remain upright. Ace moved on.

The third Knight, somewhat behind the leading two, managed to avoid the worst of the combined grenade attack. It had stayed back, waiting for the Arc energies to dissipate, while its companions continued their charge forward. As soon as Kaijae’s grenade finished discharging all of its power, the warrior rushed forward.

Kaijae looked up from his opponent’s fallen body in time to see the Hive approach, to take the dead Knight’s place. A groan escaped the Titan’s lips as he braved himself to dodge the incoming attack. He couldn’t stop the charge, so attempting to attack the Knight would only result in him getting cut down. Seeing the large warrior lift its sword for a cross slash, Kaijae quickstepped backward and then dove forward. The sword cut through his energy shield and, striking at nearly parallel angle, bounced off the heavy armor on his back. Despite being deflected and not a direct strike, the Titan felt the force of the impact reverberate across his shoulder blade.

Quickly regaining his feet before a second blow could fall, Kaijae moved closer to the Knight and fired his shotgun. The Knight roared in pain and rage as the blast tore through the armor at its collar and shoulder. The Titan grinned as he ejected the spent shell and readied a fresh one. Suddenly, the Hive warrior’s elbow connected with his chest and knocked him back a couple steps. Kaijae had moved in close to the Knight in an attempt to make it impossible for there to be any effective angle of attack for that heavy sword. He had forgotten that the Hive could just as easily throw a first or an elbow instead. Now he was in the perfect position for a second slashing attack and he was to off-balanced to dodge the incoming attack.

Kaizyn saw the Knight stagger her love with a wild elbow. The other hand was already bringing the sword back into attack position as Kaijae tried to keep his footing. She saw the damaged armor, a large chunk of the chitinous material near the left clavicle had been destroyed, and opened fire. The Knight ignored the stinging bullets even as they tore into its flesh. It knew that the Guardian before it could not escape its attack this time.

As the Knight began its swing, another form appeared at its side. Ace had leapt from his dispatched foe, using his boost jump to cover the distance swiftly, to land beside the Hive. The Hunter’s Conspiracy Theory thundered as Ace fired into the side of the Knight’s knee. With another pained roar, the Hive warrior fell before it could complete the sword swing. The Hunter readied a fresh shell in his shotgun’s chamber when a backhand swing connected with the side of his chest. Ace could feel some of his chassis cave in, under his armor, from the force of the blow. If he were Human or Awoken, the strike would have shattered several ribs. The Exo did not want to consider what kind of damage the Knight would be capable of inflicting with the sword.

Before Ace could recover and bring his shotgun back up to attack, Kaijae stepped forward with his. The Titan fired twice and the Knight fell backward.

The Hunter heaved a sigh of relief as he lowered his weapon. The backhand had hurt a lot. He didn’t want to think about what kind of internal damage had been inflicted upon his body. Looking down, Ace could clearly see the point of impact as his left “rib cage” had a noticeable dent. The Exo re-evaluated the damaged and decided that, if he had an organic body with lungs, one of them would surely be filling with blood right now.

Ace raised his hand and Mal unfolded in the space above his open palm. “I’m gonna need repairs before we move on,” he informed the ghost.

The Hunter didn’t register the scream of warning from his ghost. He didn’t even register the actual impact as a sword slammed into his back from behind. All that he realized was that he was falling unexpectedly. Ace didn’t see the sword pass through his body completely, cutting him in half. He did see his own legs falling to the floor with him, before everything went black.

It was in that moment, when blackness swallowed his vision, his mind understood what had just happened. For a moment that lasted an eternity, Ace’s body finally registered the overwhelming agony of the attack. And then death released him.

——————

Vision returned first. Disorientating as his mind worked furiously to reconcile his current surroundings to his last memory. The memory of pain, overwhelming for a brief instant, faded quickly as the panic of dying passed.

Then audio second. He anticipated the sound of Mal screaming a warning, but was greeted with relative quiet instead. The difference was jarring.

Ace was standing upright in the same tunnel that they had just been fighting in. Two Hive Knights lay dead on the floor immediately in front of him. The attack had come from behind. He turned around to look where the attack had come from and promptly fell over.

“Ace!” Mal cried out, hovering overhead.

“You okay, Ace?” Kaizyn’s concerned voice accompanied a pair of small, strong hands that helped the Hunter sit up.

Ace looked down at his legs, confused. When he went to turn around, the lower half of his body failed to respond. Panic began to return. “I can’t feel my legs.”

Kaijae and Kaizyn both stepped around the Hunter to stand in front of him. “How can that be?” Kaijae asked incredulously, “Mal just rezzed you. Did he mess it up?”

“I don’t know what happened, Ace!” Mal cried, the ghost’s shell was a practical blur of anxious whirling, “I performed the same revival process as always! Kaizyn helped channel the Light we needed so I don’t know what could have happened.”

“Everyone, calm down,” Kaizyn called out soothingly, “I’m sure that there must be an explanation for this.”

“Maybe we need to redo the rez,” Kaijae offered.

“Maybe, but let’s give the ghosts a chance to check it out,” Kaizyn replied. As she spoke, Twilin and Zuko both materialized near the sitting Hunter. Mal dropped down to join the two ghosts.

As the ghosts scanned his legs, Ace turned his torso to look where he had been attacked from. Another Knight lay dead on the floor. “A fourth?” he commented, “That explains why they took so long to ambush us; they were gathering together before they came.”

“Yeah,” Kaijae affirmed, “That one seemed to come out of nowhere, as if he was waiting for you to attack like you did.”

“Maybe he was,” Kaizyn commented quietly.

All three Guardians went quiet at that thought. After a few seconds, Kaijae gave a halfhearted shrug before continuing, “He came around that corner just as you brought Mal out and swung before any of us realized he was there. Kaizyn dropped her grenade right on him as I unloaded my Eyasluna. He almost managed to cut me in half, too, but she dropped him with her sniper.”

“I should’ve used a rocket, but I was worried about hurting poor Mal,” Kaizyn admitted.

“Eyasluna?” Ace asked, “You out of shotgun ammo?”

“Yeah. I used a good bit of it on the way down.”

“And that was my last sniper round,” Kaizyn added.

Ace looked down to the Conspiracy Theory-D in his lap. He knew that he only had a handful of shells left. At least he had a fair amount of rounds remaining in both his Hung Jury and Thunderlord. The Hunter turned his attention back to the trio of ghosts inspecting his legs.

After another minute of scanning, all three stopped and turned to regard the Exo. Twilin began, “We can find nothing physically wrong with your legs or your Exomind nervous system. All physical damage done to you has been repaired. As far as we can tell, your legs  should  be functional.”

Zuko spoke up, “The damage that persists has been done to your connection to the Light.”

“This is like the damage done to your arm, but much worse,” Mal explained, “The Light that infuses your body has been stripped away.”

Ace closed his eyes and felt for the wells of power within himself. The smaller pool that allowed him to create a grenade was empty, which made sense. The greater well, the one that empowered his greatest weapon, was still there. He could feel the power straining for release.

“I don’t understand,” Ace responded, “I can still feel the Light within me. I can feel the power ready to be used.”

“Yes, it is still there,” Twilin answered, “but your connection to the Light has become tenuous. The Light that allows you to  _ function  _ is what has been stripped from the lower half of your body.”

“You legs are physically sound. There’s just no Light there. You may be able to get them to work with extra focus and effort,” Zuko suggested.

“We believe that your legs will recover in the same way that your arm did,” Mal added, “As long as you do not suffer another attack like that.”

Ace motioned for the Titans to help him up. Kaijae and Kaizyn hoisted him up off the floor and helped him get his feet beneath him. Once standing, the Hunter found it easy to remain upright. The trouble had only began when he first attempted to move. Ace closed his eyes again, only this time he focused on his right leg.

The Exo pictured the path his nervous system took to get from his brain to his feet. He considered how each servo in his leg functioned to behave like Human muscle and respond to subconscious commands. Ace meticulously imagined every muscular movement required for a single step. As he did all of this, he could  _ feel _ a connection become reestablished. It was extremely faint and required almost all of his focus to maintain.

The right leg moved an inch.

“You did it!” Kaijae exclaimed.

“Move me to the wall,” Ace responded, “We could get ambushed again.”

The pair of Titans lifted the Hunter and quickly carried him to the nearest tunnel wall and set him down. Ace placed one hand on the wall to support himself and went through the same mental exercise with the left leg. He was able to move that leg two inches.

A minute later, Ace was able to take shuffling steps at a near-walking pace. Kaijae, standing guard near the next sharp bend in the tunnel called out, “Do we just want to bunker down and wait for your legs to recover?”

“We need to keep moving,” Ace sighed, “I’m certain that if we sit still in one place, that Wizard will be able to organize a  _ real _ ambush party.”


	31. Chapter 31

As the team slowly progressed through the maze, Ace was able to improve his gait. Over the next several minutes, he was able to go from a shuffle to something that resembled an awkward, stiff-legged walk. As Kaijae moved ahead to take point and inspect around every turn, Ace summoned Mal.

“Do you think that you could do anything to speed up my recovery?” the Hunter asked.

“I am afraid not,” the ghost answered, “Your connection is still intact, if tenuous. Your arm is evidence that you can recover from this damage.”

“As long as I don’t get struck by a weapon like that again,” Ace interrupted.

“Correct.”

The Exo sighed heavily. He pushed down the frustration welling up from within. Ace had never been wounded in such a way before in all of the decades as a Guardian. He had been dismembered and killed countless different ways, but he had always been able to return sound and whole. His ghost had always been able to repair him.

Ace stumbled as the discouraging train of thought distracted him from focusing on the act of walking. Both Titans stopped and turned about at the sound of his groan of irritation. “You remind me of Merrite’s youngest kid... the one that’s learning how to walk,” Kaizyn laughed.

“That’s not fair,” Kaijae countered, “You can’t compare a baby to Ace. At least the is baby cute!”

“Har har,” Ace commented.

“Hey, Ace?” Kaijae called out, “Do Exos ever need to use a toilet? I just want to know if we are going to need to change your diaper.”

“How about we go back and I can hit  _you_ with that Knight’s sword?” Ace growled, “We can see how well you manage this.”

Kaijae only laughed even harder in response.

Several more minutes passed as the team navigated more turns and intersections. They continued their westerly course without finding any more opportunities to turn north. It appeared that Twilin’s calculations had been correct. Ace found comfort in that knowledge. He didn’t even feel frustrated when the ghosts announced that they had doubled back again. Ace simply took stock of the situation and began heading down the south path.

“You sure?” Kaijae called out as the Hunter moved past him. 

“Nope. But our ghosts can get us on the right path if I’m wrong,” Ace answered.

Kaizyn moved to walk beside the Hunter and look down at his legs. “You’re almost walking normal again,” she observed, “Has your Light returned already?”

“No,” Ace replied, “I’m just getting better at controlling them.”

“Nice,” Kaijae gave the Hunter a friendly slap to one shoulder. Ace promptly fell over.

——————

The team found themselves doubling back a handful of instances by the time Ace realized that his legs seem to be getting better. He was no longer focusing on every single function; he could walk more naturally again. The feeling of numbness had given way to the sensation of cold from his waist to his knees. They had also reached a point in the tunnels where it became apparent that they could no longer travel west.

“It’s a center goal maze,” Kaijae announced suddenly.

The other two Guardians turned to regard the Titan. Kaizyn spoke first, “What do you mean?”

“The maze. It’s one of those mazes where the goal is to reach the center,” Kaijae explained, “It’s not about passing through.”

“Well, what if the exit is back over at the eastern side?” Ace countered.

“Listen. It’s not,” Kaijae insisted. As he spoke, the Titan held out a hand a summoned Zuko. As soon as the ghost finished materializing, Kaijae asked, “Can you estimate an approximate center of the maze based on what we have traveled so far?”

An indicator appeared in their visors. “There are several junctions that you have passed through that had a route heading in that general direction.”

Ace snorted, “Yeah, but for how long? Every one of these tunnels makes several turns and can just as easily wind up taking us in the opposite direction.”

“That is correct,” Zuko admitted.

“Let’s just keep moving. Honestly, if it takes longer, that is more time that I can heal before we get to Dôl Arnách,” Ace commented.

“How about we take a break?” Kaijae suggested, “How far have we traveled?”

Zuko turned to its partner and answered, “You three have walked twenty point oh one seven four kilometers in the last five hours.”

“H’uh. It felt like more,” Ace quipped.

“Distance or time?” Zuko asked.

“Yes.”

Zuko “blinked” in reply as the ghost was not sure how to respond to the Hunter. After a moment, it turned back to Kaijae and performed a shrug with its metal shell. “I estimate that you three have traversed over a full half of the tunnels,” the ghost finished.

“Wow,” Kaizyn commented quietly, “I agree with Ace that it feels like we’ve been in here longer, but I dunno if taking any kind of break is wise.”

“We aren’t close to a junction right now and that’s the only place where the Wizard has placed her spying Shriekers,” Kaijae argued, “If a Knight does come at us, well... it would have likely found us sooner or later.”

“Just because we cannot see a Shrieker, doesn’t mean that we are safe from spying,” Twilin declared as the ghost materialized, “Shriekers are able to perceive well beyond line of sight. The larger the Shrieker, the greater the distances that it can  _see_. A network that Dôl Arnách has created, even of such smaller ones, likely means that she can observe the entirety of the maze.”

“So, no rest from the wicked, I guess?” Kaijae muttered.

“I don’t think that is how the saying goes, but you’re right,” Kaizyn answered. 

With a heavy sigh from all three, the team turned back to the tunnel and resumed their march. After a short pair of turns, they came upon another intersection. They were greeted by the sound of Dôl Arnách’s laughter.

“Growing tired? Dôl Arnách can smell your exhaustion from here,” the Wizard’s voice emanated from the Shrieker tucked into the gloom of the ceiling.

“Yeah, we are tired,” Ace answered, “Tired of your nonsense.”

“Exactly,” Kaijae replied, “Aren’t your bored of this yet? Just come out from wherever you’re hiding and let’s get this over with.”

Dôl Arnách ignored the Titan as she addressed the Hunter, “How did you like the toy, little metal man? I see that your legs have been damaged. Did Dôl Arnách’s Knight play too hard with you? That toy is only one of many. Do not get stung too many times or else there will be nothing left for Dôl Arnách to harvest.”

“If you’re worried about it, come and harvest now,” Kaijae challenged.

The voice laughed for a long moment before answering, “The toy has already done the harvesting. Your pitiful Light is now awaiting collection. But Dôl Arnách much loves to harvest personally, rather than simply collecting.”

Ace’s eyes widened as he considered the Wizard’s comment. They had all forgotten about destroying the weapons. In a fit of frustration, Ace opened fire upon the tiny Shrieker, silencing Dôl Arnách’s laughter. Laughter that had only grown more triumphant just before being cut off.

“Shit,” Ace muttered.

“We forgot to destroy the sword,” Kaizyn followed immediately.

“We forgot to destroy  _all_ of them,” Ace responded.

Kaijae turned around, as if looking back down the tunnel they had just taken would help him visualize the path the would need to take as he asked, “Should we go back?”

Ace’s shoulders slumped as he shook his head, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t think it would do us any good.”

“Do you think she already has it?” Kaizyn inquired.

“Probably,” Ace replied, “Maybe that’s why we haven’t run into any more of her guards in the last couple hours?”

“Zuko, did you track where we ran into those Knights? All of them. Not just the four that ambushed us,” Kaijae asked the empty space in front of him.

Zuko’s voice replied via the comm link, “Yes. I can plot a course that would return us to every site.”

“Good,” Kaijae looked back to the other two Guardians, “We’ll go back after we finish dealing with the Wizard.”

“How are your legs, Ace?” Kaizyn’s helmet tilted to one side as she inspected the Hunter’s stance.

“Better. I am beginning to regain feeling, but they now feel cold where the numbness has passed,” Ace explained.

“Let’s hope they recover by the time we reach the center,” Kaijae commented. As he passed the Hunter, the Titan delivered another friendly slap to the shoulder. Ace staggered an unbalanced step to the side, but remained upright.

——————

It was another hour of meandering tunnels and confusing intersections before the team encountered another patrolling Knight. This time, a pair of them.

Ace’s legs had regained sensation and functionality all the way from the waist to his ankles. He knew that the Light had not yet begun regenerating in the limbs as the coldness still persisted throughout the afflicted extremities.

The Hunter allowed his teammates to charge forward; he didn’t trust himself to not roll an ankle or incur some other kind of similar injury. If he were to fall down in close quarters, it would surely be the end for him. Instead, he hurled his grenade charge ahead of the rushing Titans to land between the pair of Knights. The explosion briefly stunned the two Hive just before the Guardians arrived.

Almost simultaneously, Kaijae and Kaizyn both released some of their pent up Light as they threw their bodies into the stunned Hive warriors. Kaijae’s Arc power erupted just before Kaizyn’s Void energy enveloped her target. Sighting upon the opponent in front of Kaizyn, Ace was able to easily land devastating shots to the stationary warrior’s helmeted head. The female Titan quickly added her own barrage to his as she brought her auto rifle to her shoulder and began firing.

Kaijae had called forth his Bonekruscher and brought that to bear upon his opponent. The Knight recovered from the impact of the shoulder charge quickly, but the force of the heavy machine gun, at point blank range, was too much. The warrior was forced to stagger backward with every round that struck. Kaijae’s opponent fell before it could ever fully recover from being stunned. He then immediately turned to focus on the Knight in front of Kaizyn.

A moment later the second Hive warrior fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. Ace quickly moved forward, to join with the team. He did not trust that these two were the only guards in the vicinity and was not going to take a chance against being ambushed from the other direction.

As the Hunter drew near, Kaijae knelt down and yanked the Hive sword from beneath the dead body. The blade and hilt appeared to be fashioned from a single piece of material. It resembled the chitin that the Knight wore as armor, but held a metallic sheen. The only difference between the blade and the hilt was a ragged bit of leather wrap that went from the pommel to the quillon.

Ace murmured absently, “Do they  _grow_ this stuff?”

Twilin’s disembodied voice answered, “It is suspected that Hive armorers and weapon smiths do indeed grow the chitin components, using Hive magics to ensure proper form.”

“Does that mean it’s organic?” Kaizyn asked.

“It’s hard to say. By our definition of ‘organic’, I would not say it qualifies,” Twilin stated.

“Guys,” Kaijae cut in, “We don’t have time for this. Let’s destroy these things and get moving.”

Ace nodded and removed the shotgun from his back. As he stepped forward, he noticed that the sword had already begun to deteriorate. The metallic sheen was rapidly dulling before his eyes and the blade had cracks running up the length of it. 

“Wow, it already looks pretty bad,” the Hunter commented.

“Hive weapons are tied to their wielder,” Mal’s voice replied, “Especially their swords. I’m sure that there must be a way to transfer weapons from one Hive to another, but once a weapon’s current wielder dies... Well, you see.”

“Do we even need to do anything to destroy it?” Ace asked, “It looks like it’ll fall apart on its own in a few minutes.”

“No, Ace,” Twilin answered, “The deterioration will stop soon. That sword is still strong enough on its own to maintain structural cohesion.”

Kaijae set the sword back down on the floor. Ace aimed his Conspiracy Theory at the largest crack in the blade and fired. Shards of chitin flew away as the blade shattered. In the remaining rubble Ace spotted another small crystal, identical to the one that Kaijae pulled from Crag’noth’s sword. Kaizyn bent down and retrieved the small gemstone.

The team repeated the process with the other sword and then turned back to resume their journey.


	32. Chapter 32

Kaizyn summoned Twilin as she walked and the two of them inspected the small crystals in her open hand. Ace took a quick peek before turning his attention to the tunnel behind them, staying on guard against any potential attack. Kaijae, who had already held one of the crystals for an extended time, wasn’t really interested and had moved to take point shortly after they had destroyed the weapons.

Hovering close to Kaizyn’s open palm, Twilin commented aloud, “These crystals are similar to the one Kaijae retrieved, but there is a noticeable difference.”

“Didn’t Jae’s have a darker glow to it?” Kaizyn commented, “These seem to... shimmer?”

“These appear to be primed to absorbed and contain power,” Twilin observed, “It is not designed to share any of that power with the wielder, unlike the the crystal Kaijae held. There is a hint of power within, but only enough to trigger the... wait,” Twilin suddenly paused. Kaizyn likewise stopped walking just as abruptly. After a couple seconds, Twilin announced, “It is Light.”

Ace moved closer as he asked, “What is Light?”

“In this crystal, Ace. Dôl Arnách has channeled Light into this crystal to act as the catalyst for the siphoning of other Guardians’ Light,” Twilin explained.

“Is that what she meant by using our Light to make a more useful tool?” the Hunter growled.

Kaizyn gasped and dropped the stones to the floor, as if they burned her palm. Ace stepped forward and picked them up. Kaizyn’s voice broke as she shook her head, “What if... Deo?”

“All the more reason to destroy her  _ and _ these weapons,” Ace answered, “We’ll avenge him and free his Light so that it can return to the Traveler.”

“It should be a simple matter of destroying them now that they have been freed from the containing weapons,” Twilin commented, “We will just need something of sufficient power beyond that of your shotgun.”

“Like a Golden Gun or Fist of Havoc?”

“Precisely.”

Ace nodded as he handed the pair of crystals back to Kaizyn. The Titan, in turn, had her ghost transmat the stones to their tesseract for storing. Sniffling once, Kaizyn nodded as she resumed walking. Ace followed close behind.

“I’m glad we don’t have to ask Ikora for a Nova Bomb,” he whispered quietly to himself.

——————

Ace felt sure that they had managed very little progress over the next two hours. They managed to stumble through multiple repeated intersections during that time. It seemed that trying to navigate toward the center was a much more difficult prospect than navigating from one end to another. The Hunter took it as a good sign that the team had finally chosen the correct goal.

The Exo also noticed that all of the numbness had finally passed. He had full control of his lower extremities once again. However, he sensed that his body was still far from repairing the damage done to his connection to the Traveler and the Light. Despite the multiple hours that had passed since the ambush, his legs were powerless. Ace knew without trying that he would be unable to perform any kind of midair jump that all Hunter Guardians were known for.

As they rounded a corner and spotted a junction in the tunnel ahead, Zuko proclaimed over the comm, “We have arrived.”

The team stopped abruptly at the declaration. Kaizyn was first to speak, “Are you certain?”

“We have spent the last thirty minutes encircling the center of the maze,” Zuko explained, “This junction will lead us back to tunnels we have already traversed if we take the north exit. The east exit will deliver us to the center.”

“Here’s hoping that Jae is right and our goal lies at the center,” Ace gestured to the eastern opening.

“Let’s go get the bitch,” Kaijae announced.

Ace moved forward to join the Titan at point. The two stepped through with Kaizyn close behind. The Hunter struggled to reign his excitement. Being so close to their goal washed away the aggravation and frustration that had been building over the last few hours. He almost warned Kaijae back so that he could sneak ahead, but then the Hunter recalled Twilin’s words regarding the network of Shriekers. Dôl Arnách knew exactly where the Guardians were.

He opted instead to remind his companions. “She knows we are here. She will be expecting us.”

“Yeah,” Kaijae muttered, “I can’t see them, but I can feel her spying eyes.”

Ace couldn’t see her, but he could sense Kaizyn grip her Shadow Price more tightly and could hear the sound of the rifle’s stock knock against the metal plating of her armor as the Titan re-set her weapon. The Hunter nodded as he did the same with his Hung Jury, mentally preparing himself for the battle that awaited them.

The team cautiously rounded a quartet of turns, each one separated by an empty stretch of tunnel. Ace didn’t need Zuko to inform them that they were traveling in a circle. As they drew close to the final turn, he detected a slight change in the lighting.

“This is it,” the Hunter whispered and then stepped around the corner.

A larger chamber greeted the fireteam as the turn delivered then immediately upon the threshold. The room’s walls were lined with implements of countless design, all of which appeared even more painful than the last. And spaced around the room, near the walls, were a score of stone tables that awaited the use of those very implements. At the far end of the chamber stood another portal archway, empowered and ready for use.

Ace spared only a momentary thought on these things, the Exo portion of his brain registering and cataloging these details. The Hunter had eyes only for the Wizard that hovered near the center of the room, near a large, brightly glowing crystal that also floated several feet above the floor. Ace recognized Dôl Arnách immediately, from her segmented helmet that swept away from her brow to end with two swirling horns, down to the pattern of her tattered robe.

Floating in the air in front of the Wizard was a Hive sword. The Guardians could sense more than actually see the power flowing from the sword to the crystal. Ace could feel the power almost intimately and  knew that it was the Light that had been stolen from his body; ripped away by the very sword she was currently focused upon. And he could sense that they had entered the room just in time to witness the last of the power transfer from the weapon to the crystal. Dôl Arnách snatched the sword from out of the air turned about to gently place the sword on a table.

Ace felt the urge to roar out a challenge or proclamation of the Wizard’s doom, but was simply too angry. The Hunter just raised his rifle to his cheek and took aim.

Then Dôl Arnách began to  _ sing. _

The sound came like a sharp knife. Cruelly hot as it began to pierce his skull where his nonexistent ears would be located. Over the terrible sound, through the agony, Mal’s voice called out, “Adjusting!”

And a moment later, the pain ended. As abruptly as if someone had flipped a switch. Ace could still hear Dôl Arnách’s terrible song, but he could no longer detect the terrible dissonance that caused the agonizing sensation. The song hadn’t been debilitating like during his first encounter, even without the adjustment that Mal made, but the pain was plenty distracting.

Mal’s voice whispered into the comm link, “Sorry about that. I had to make a fine tune adjustment due to the close proximity.”

The Exomind approximation of a grin filled Ace’s face beneath his helmet as the obvious confusion swept over the Wizard. He could hear the song falter as Dôl Arnách realized that the Guardians were not as adversely affected as expected. The Hunter knew that she still had even more awful weapons at her disposal, but seeing this one in particular get so absolutely negated brought a tiny bit of malicious joy to his heart.

The Wizard ended her song with a frustrated shriek. “Foolish things!” she cried out, “Your end would have been quicker this way. Now Dôl Arnách will be forced to-”

A searing blast of Solar power silenced the Wizard, burning a hole through her skull in an instant.

Ace had ignored the tirade, instead he focused on releasing his hold on the overwhelming power within. The compressed Light he had been restraining burst forth with a searing energy. He felt most of his body becoming momentarily consumed; everything but his legs, as the power swelled and coursed up into his right hand. It felt like an eternity, but lasted less than a second, before the power exploded, leaving a flaming Golden Gun in the Gunslinger’s hand.

Ace had immediately used that Golden Gun to silence Dôl Arnách’s ranting threat.

The Hunter was surprised to see the weapon of Light vanish, its power already spent after only the one shot. He wasn’t using any gear that would channel the power any differently. The only thing that the Gunslinger could think of was the damage that had been done to him in the tunnels. Damage that was only beginning to recover.

“Well, that was... I want to say disappointing,” Kaijae commented.

“I think it’s appropriate,” Kaizyn agreed, “I was expecting more from her. Ace, when did you change your focus?”

“Before the portal,” the Hunter answered, “Sorry for stealing all the fun.”

Kaijae shrugged, “How about you owe us one now?”

“Uggh. I hate debts,” Ace laughed.

“How about we grab that sword,” Kaizyn began suggesting before going silent. The familiar sound of a wretched laughter began filling the room.

All three Guardians immediately raised their weapons and gathered close together, each one looking for the source in a different direction. The sound grew until they could identify the source; the floating crystal in the center of the room. Ace was about to ask Mal what the ghost was able to sense from the crystal, when the laughter gave way to a cackling shriek.

“Fools! You delay the inevitable!” Dôl Arnách’s voice screeched, “You have no idea what you face this day. And you have made the mistake of coming here, to the very seat of Dôl Arnách’s power!”

Ace heard Kaizyn gasp as the Wizard’s crumpled body burst into a green flame, consumed by the conflagration in the blink of an eye. Kaijae muttered a curse as, a moment later, the smoke coalesced and the body took form within the gathering cloud above the fire. Ace detected the hint of a shadow pass over the crystal, a flutter that registered at the very edge of his perception. The Hunter tried to look closer and thought he caught a glimpse of the shadow cross from the floating stone to the Wizard’s form.

Dôl Arnách raised a hand as the laughter began coming from the Wizard’s body. All three Guardians immediately began firing. The Hunter could see rounds from his scout rifle tear into a barrier surrounding the Hive. Their bullets were being halted before they could inflict any damage upon the Wizard. In response, Dôl Arnách summoned a series of floating balls of fire and, with a wave of her hand, sent them hurtling toward the fireteam.

Ace threw himself to the side, tumbling into a roll that brought him back to his feet so that he could keep moving. Two of the fireballs struck the ground in his wake while a third managed to burn a large hole in his trailing cloak. The Hunter didn’t have time to curse the Wizard for damaging his finery, he had to focus on keeping his feet moving, rushing to the nearest stone table to act as cover.

A sudden cry of pain from behind him informed Ace that one of the Titans were not as swift as he had been. Sliding sideways to the ground, the Hunter managed to get behind the slab of rock. As soon as he was in a position of cover, he looked back to see Kaijae scrambling to get up off of the floor, only to be knocked down again by another of the Wizard’s fireballs.

“Jae!” Kaizyn called out from her position from a nearby table.

As she started to stand, Kaijae shouted, “No! Focus on her!”

Ace nodded agreement. They could revive the Titan if he fell. But if all three Guardians were to fall here...

“Mal! Any ideas?” Ace called out.

“Don’t attack her. Something in this room is shielding her,” Mal answered.

Glancing over the flat top of the stone, Ace re-evaluated the room. The swirling green light of the portal caught his eye at first, but he quickly disregarded it. The gateway had remained the same and didn’t react in the slightest to the Wizard’s death and subsequent revival. The Hunter then focused on the crystal.

It was the only actual source of power in this room. The Exo quickly recalled the shadow that appeared in the glowing stone. A grunt of pain carried over the comm link informed Ace that Kaijae had been struck again. Kaizyn resumed firing upon Dôl Arnách; the Hunter wasn’t sure if she was making a calculated attempt to draw the Wizard away from her wounded mate, or if she was simply acting out of desperation.

_ “Thunderlord!” _ Ace commanded Mal to swap in the heavier weapon as he jumped up onto the table top.

Noticing the movement, Dôl Arnách turned to the Hunter and waved her hand. Ace suddenly found himself enshrouded in a disorienting, stinging cloud of dark smoke. Despite the absence of functional lungs, the Exo found himself stricken with the sensation of difficult breathing. He ignored the discomfort and found a single point of brightness shining through the darkness. Ace raised the heavy weapon and squeezed the trigger.

The shriek of outrage from Dôl Arnách informed Ace that his deduction had been accurate. The Hunter dropped down from the slab and pushed his way through the Wizard’s cloud of darkness. He could hear Kaizyn’s auto rifle firing and headed toward that sound. The sharp retort of Kaijae’s hand cannon rang out as Ace managed to finally step out of the miasma. The Hunter was able to see the Titan still on the ground, but no longer attempting to rise. Kaijae had drawn Eyasluna and was firing at the Wizard.

Ace turned toward Dôl Arnách to see that she was holding up her arms, attempting to ward off the bullets. Her barrier was faltering and the Wizard was now focusing her power to shield herself. The Hunter then looked to the crystal. There was a noticeable crack and the glow emanating forth had greatly diminished.

The Wizard suddenly clapped her hands and stopped projecting the defensive shield. Ace saw the opportunity and opened fire. Thunderlord bellowed as scraps of cloth and chips of chitin armor flew away from the Hive, but she did not resume her defensive posture. Instead, Dôl Arnách held her hands out in front of here and began summoning a larger ball of fire. At first, the ball was the same size as the other firebolts that she had hurled at the Guardians; approximately the size of a fist. However, only a couple seconds later, the ball had grown to the size of a Human chest.

The Hunter stopped firing and lowered his weapon as he tried to anticipate what the Wizard would do with the burning ball of power. The sound of gunfire to his right drew Ace’s attention and he turned to look down at Kaijae, still kneeling on the floor in the middle of the chamber. The Titan’s Infinite Lines chest plate showed at least three different points where the armor had been blasted and partially melted by intense heat. Kaijae’s shield had been obliterated by the first couple of strikes and could not have regenerated yet.

Ace began running. He calculated that if he acted fast enough, he could save his companion.

“Damn it,” Kaijae muttered.

The Hunter glanced over his shoulder to see that Dôl Arnách had launched the large fireball. Kaijae knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive the attack. His energy shield was gone, his armor was compromised, and he was positioned out in the open where there was nothing to take cover behind.

Ace threw himself forward to cover the last couple of meters as quickly as possible. As he rolled to his feet, the Hunter was standing in front of Kaijae. “Ace?! What are yo-“

An explosion tore through the Exo’s back, shredding his already damaged cloak and incinerating his armor. Ace’s body was thrown to the ground, falling beside the Titan.

“Shoot her,” Ace muttered as he slowly lifted himself to his hands and knees. He didn’t need the alert to inform him that throwing himself in front of the large fireball had destroyed his energy shield.

Kaijae complied as he summoned his Bonekruscher. The Hunter smiled at the sound of Dôl Arnách’s frustrated scream. She had hoped to eliminate one of the Guardians so that there would be only the two to deal with. Even though they were wounded, Ace and Kaijae were both still in this fight.

The Exo heaved himself up to his feet and turned around to face the Wizard. She had once again assumed a defensive posture, shielding herself with her power. Ace raised Thunderlord and aimed, instead, for the crystal once more


	33. Chapter 33

Dôl Arnách shrieked in rage as the crack in the crystal grew. Ace watched the fissure double in length, nearly spreading from tip to tip. He chuckled with honest mirth at her frustration.

“You will pay for this!” the Wizard screamed at the Guardians. Ace expected her to launch another attack of some kind, but she began moving to the far end of the chamber instead.

“She’s running for the portal,” Kaizyn cried out.

Ace turned away from the stone and trained his weapon on the fleeing Dôl Arnách. Even as he began firing, he knew it was futile; she was too close to the doorway and they had not managed to inflict any kind of wound grievous enough to give her pause. The Hunter lowered Thunderlord and began walking forward as the Wizard disappeared through the portal.

“Let’s go get her,” Kaijae called out, “We can’t let her get too far ahead of us!”

Ace approximated a heavy sigh. The upper breastplate of his Argus armor shifted over the lower plackart as his Exomind chassis performed the exaggerated action. As he stepped closer to the glowing crystal, Ace summoned Mal. “Can you repair my armor before we chase after her?” he asked.

“Of course,” the ghost answered.

Kaijae paused in his rush toward the portal and considered his own damaged gear. His Infinite Lines armor sported thicker plating than the Hunter’s kit, but there were still many places where the integrity had been compromised. The Titan brought out Zuko to do the same.

As the two Guardians waited for the ghosts to perform the repairs, Ace called out to Kaizyn, “It should only need a few more hits. Destroy that crystal.”

Kaizyn glanced from Ace to the crystal and nodded. The ground below the floating gemstone was littered with flecks and shards from the Hunter’s assault. The Titan raised her rifle and fired into the widest part of the crack. It only took a few rounds to finish the job that Ace had started. The crystal split in two and fell to the floor. Ace could see the contained Light flow out from the broken stone, just like before. The Hunter moved forward to step into the dissipating power. He could feel warmth infuse his feet and lower legs temporarily as the energy washed over them.

After a short couple of moments, the ghosts announced that repairs were completed. “Finally,” Kaijae grumbled as he began rushing toward the gateway.

Ace looked over to see Kaizyn crouching down to inspect one of the large crystal shards. Twilin hovered close by, carefully scanning the remains as well. “Hey, we need to get after her,” Ace said softly.

Kaizyn looked up at the Hunter. He couldn’t see her eyes behind the visor of her Vanir Type 2 helmet, but he suspected that they were filling with restrained tears as she whispered, “I hope some of that was Deo’s Light. That we set him free.”

“We’ll destroy them all and make sure that Deo’s Light is free,” Ace assured her.

“Look out!” Zuko’s sudden warning caught their attention. Ace looked up to see Kaijae, only a handful of meters from the portal, begin to back away.

Two large shapes framing another massive shape appeared as silhouettes in the portal’s light. Ace rushed to join Kaijae’s side as the Hive stepped across the gateway’s threshold. The silhouettes became a pair of Knights and an Ogre, all three prepared to fight. Ace had managed to cover only half the distance to his companion before the Ogre’s eye blast tore into him. The Knights each raised a sword as they charged toward Kaijae.

“Jae!” Kaizyn called out, “Get back here and I can protect us!”

Ace’s shields had managed to recharge while Mal repaired his armor, so the Ogre’s initial energy wave was deflected. However, the Hunter was well aware that his barrier would not last more than a few moments under the barrage. He was near the center of the chamber, well away from any of the tables that he could use for cover. Retreat was not an option. Ace gritted his teeth against the stray bits of energy that managed to tear its way through his energy shield and raised Thunderlord.

The Knights were almost within striking distance of Kaijae. The Titan had been eyeing the swords warily, respecting the terrible danger they posed. Just before the Hive warriors began to swing, he rushed forward with a battle cry. That cry became a thunderous explosion as the Titan unleashed his power.

Both of the charging Hive were suddenly thrown backwards by the sudden and violent eruption of Arc energy. His body sheathed in the power, Kaijae strode forward and delivered a bone shattering punch. Hive armor fractured and chunks flew away under the force of the blow. The Striker delivered three more in rapid succession before the Knight crumpled to the floor. Without pause, Kaijae hurled himself at the second warrior. Arc energy empowered the lunge, turning his body into a living missile for a brief instant. The second Knight fell in seconds.

The waves of energy from the Ogre’s eye blast caused Ace’s arms to shake as he struggled to withstand the onslaught. The Hunter had only a few rounds left in the current belt feeding his machine gun; he couldn’t afford to waste any of them. Ace squeezed the trigger when he felt confident that his aim would be true and was rewarded with an anguished roar from the Ogre. The burst of Arc-empowered rounds tore into the sensitive membrane covering the behemoth’s eye. The optic blast cut short as the Ogre raised both fists into the air and slammed the floor.

Ace fired the last handful of rounds left in the belt and then lowered his weapon. He knew the Ogre was about to charge, to use its massive fists to squash the smaller Hunter, and Ace prepared himself to dodge the attack.

Kaijae charged into the Ogre’s flank, roaring wordlessly. The behemoth fell to one side as the sudden attack forced it off balance. Ace whipped the Hung Jury off his back and opened fire. He knew that his attacks would have little effect on the Hive monstrosity, but every little bit helped.

The Striker could feel his power fading as he toppled the Ogre. He had used a significant portion of his power eliminating the Knights, so Kaijae hurried to eliminate the Ogre. The behemoth bellowed in pain with every punch he delivered, but nothing was like the howl it uttered when the Titan focused on its knee. The Ogre had started to push itself back into an upright, standing position when Kaijae hurled himself, his entire body, into the side of its kneecap.

Kaijae’s malicious grin would have been frightening if anyone could see it. The way that the Hive monster’s bone suddenly gave way, with a terrific crack, filled the Titan with a sense of satisfaction. He had put every last bit of his power into that final attack. The Striker felt all of the remaining Arc energy surge up into his shoulder as it connected with the Ogre’s leg, exploding into the beast.

Ace watched the behemoth fall again as his companion backed away. The Hunter continued to fire as Kaijae drew his hand cannon and opened fire. Kaizyn stepped to the Hunter’s side with her auto rifle, also firing upon the fallen monster. A few seconds later, the Ogre was silenced as death finally took it.

Ace and Kaizyn both busied themselves with reloading their weapons, magazine and belt, as they stepped forward to join Kaijae. As the two drew near, the Striker turned back to the two dead Knights. He found their swords on the floor and drew forth his machine gun. With a handful of rounds, one sword shattered to reveal nothing within. Another handful of rounds fired and the team discovered the same nothing within the second sword.

Puzzled, Kaijae looked up to his companions, “Where are the crystals?”

Ace knelt down to sift through the remains on the floor. There were no stones in the detritus; only the metallic chitin and bit of leather wrap. The Hunter shook his head as he stood up, “I guess not every one of her guards has been granted one of her special weapons.”

“That’s good,” Kaizyn stated, “If they were, there’s no way we would have made it past all of her snipers on the way down those islands.”

Ace and Kaijae both nodded at her logic. The Hunter mused, “I’m guessing these crystals aren’t easy to create. Either way, we need to get moving.”

Kaijae had begun reloading his weapons after destroying the Hive blades. He set a fresh belt into the receiver of his Bonekruscher as he replied, “You’re right. We are wasting time.”

The three Guardians moved around the dead Ogre to stand in front of the portal. Ace summoned Mal with a hand flourish and asked, “Will this portal try to tear us apart like the last one?”

Mal floated forward to inspect the gateway for a second before answering, “Most likely. I detect the same energy signal.”

“Can you improve our shields to better withstand it?”

“I’m sorry, Ace. I don’t have any new data to help us perform such an adjustment.”

Kaijae stepped forward, inches from the threshold and looked back to the Hunter, “We’ll just have to deal with it. Be ready to move as soon as we arrive.”

Kaizyn and Ace both took a deep breath before stepping forward. The entire team would be vulnerable as soon as they passed through. It was the perfect situation for an ambush.

“I just hope this is her final trap,” Kaizyn muttered.

All three Guardians leapt across the threshold, into the doorway.

The same painful sensation of being yanked apart assaulted Ace in the instant of transition. Knowing what to expect did help him retain his senses this time and he had the presence of mind to keep moving as soon as he crossed through. As the Hunter moved to the side, he quickly scanned the area.

The team was still in the Ascendant Plane, but was back out in the open. The swirling abyss of the Sea of Screams filled the sky overhead and the horizon all about them. They stood atop another large stone island, although this one was far less flat than the others. Rocky tors and large boulders filled the space. To the right of the portal, a staired dais rose a couple meters up above the floor. Ace looked up at the platform to see a boulder that had been carved into an ornate throne, decorated with runic engravings and elaborate chitin sculptures. Behind the throne, an empty archway spanned the dais from one side to the other.

Ace’s optics widened in shock as he realized that the archway was adorned with several dozen Guardian helmets; trophies for Dôl Arnách. The Hunter quickly looked away from the macabre spectacle, lest he find one that he recognized. At least Deo’s helmet would not be among the Wizard’s decorations.

In the center of the island, a score of meters away, floated another empowered crystal. It glowed brightly with the stolen Light that it contained within. Kaijae had spotted the luminous stone as well and neither Guardian hesitated; both the Hunter and the Titan immediately raised their weapons and opened fire.

To no effect. Their bullets merely ricocheted off an invisible barrier. Zuko’s voice came through the comm link, “Hold on.”

Ace and Kaijae both rushed to the nearest stone for cover. A moment later, Ace was suddenly able to “see” the barrier around the floating crystal. Mal explained, “There is a powerful Hive magic protecting the crystal. The Barrier is actually using the Light as power source, so we are able to detect and project that for you Guardians.”

“Guys,” Kaizyn called out. Ace looked back to the portal to see that Kaizyn had moved back, toward the edge of the island instead of toward the center. “This island is directly above the first one we came to, I think.”

“Clever one,” Dôl Arnách called out. All three teammates looked to the dais to see the Wizard float around from behind the ornate throne. In her hand, the Wizard now held a twisted staff that was capped with a fist-sized gemstone, seething with darkness. The thing looked like a tiny hole in space, so dark that it was actually difficult to look at directly. “Were you the one clever enough to steal Dôl Arnách’s secrets from the World’s Grave?” the Wizard continued.

“We all were,” Kaizyn challenged.

“Dôl Arnách thinks not,” the Wizard replied. She turned to gaze upon each Guardian individually for a moment before continuing, “You are clever. These two are warriors who lead the charge. One is more direct than the other, but not by much. Dôl Arnách knows clever.”

“Enough of this!” Kaijae called out.

“See?” the Wizard interrupted, “A warrior ready to charge. A warrior ready to destroy. But the warrior is right. Dôl Arnách is not interested in holding discussion with toys. Come. Let your Light become a tool for Dôl Arnách!”

With that proclamation, the Wizard raised her staff and leveled it in Kaijae’s direction. A thin beam of dark energy shot out from the capstone, drawing a line on the ground near the Titan. Kaijae had instinctively lunged away from the black laser avoiding contact. Where the beam left a line in the stone, suddenly a thin sheet of black fire shot up into the air.

“What the hell is that?” Ace muttered.

“I don’t know, but don’t let it touch you!” Kaijae shouted as he tried to put a pile of rock between himself and Dôl Arnách. From her elevated position on the raised platform, however, it was difficult for the Guardians to hide from the Wizard.

“Very few of you Light accursed have seen this toy,” the Wizard gloated, “Dôl Arnách is so happy you have made it this far. This toy has been untouched for too long. Dôl Arnách is ready to play.”

This time, the Wizard turned and leveled the staff at Kaizyn. The Titan was already running toward the team and the beam of darkness struck the portal as she ducked behind the large structure. Ace jumped out from the boulder he was using as cover and began firing at the Wizard. He was happily surprised to see his rounds strike true, rather be deflected like before.

“She must be focusing her power on maintaining the barrier around the crystal,” Mal commented quietly.

Ace nodded. They had all witnessed her trick in the other room; the crystal was the key to her ability to revive herself in this place. They would simply need to figure out how to break the barrier. He mentally snorted at that thought.  _ Simply? _


	34. Chapter 34

Ace dove back behind the boulder when Dôl Arnách turned her attention to him. As the Hunter ducked down, he looked back to his companions. Kaizyn had reached the large stone to join Kaijae and the two were preparing their own attack. Then a wall of black flames divided the field, separating the Exo from the two Awoken. He could no longer see his companions. 

“Ace?” Kaijae’s voice carried over the comm link, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” the Hunter answered.

“Good,” Kaizyn replied, “We’re going to attack if you want to try to make your way around that wall of... whatever that fire is.”

Ace was about to respond when he noticed that his radar was registering movement. It had been useless for such a long time in the tunnels that he had almost forgotten about the sensor. The Hunter turned to look in the indicated direction and spotted a pair of Adherents settling into firing positions. The sound of gunfire behind him, along with an angry shriek from Dôl Arnách, told him that the Titans had managed to deliver a painful attack.

The Hunter looked back to the Hive sharpshooters and realized that he was in a poor position now. While he was hidden from the Wizard’s attack, the was out in the open for the Adherents. Ace began running.

As he swerved erratically from one point of cover to another, Ace hoped that he would be too unpredictable for Dôl Arnách to attack. The Adherents began firing their Soulfire Rifles almost immediately after he began moving, their Void blasts cut through the air in his wake. As he ran, the Hunter fired a few rounds back at the Hive snipers, hoping to get them to stop shooting.

The tactic worked as the two Hive jumped back, behind a stony tor. Ace used the opportunity to get behind cover as well. He found a stone column to place between himself and the dangerous Wizard. He didn’t know if she had directed any attacks at him, but he didn’t want to waste any time checking. Ace was more concerned with preparing for his next maneuver. He ejected his empty magazine and swiftly replaced it with a full one from his belt. Then he raised the Hung Jury to his shoulder and rested his cheek against the stock, waiting.

The Hunter did not need to wait long as, a short moment later, one of the Adherents leaned out to look for the Guardian. He squeezed the trigger twice and the sniper fell backward, dead. Ace was already sprinting forward, dashing for the large rock that the other Adherent was still huddled behind.

He didn’t notice the dark beam strike the ground in front of him until it was too late. Part of the Exo’s mind registered the slight movement; the subconscious part of his brain that was more Exo than Man. He “instinctively” tried to stop short just as the black sheet erupted from the stone floor in front of him. Ace’s left hand and part of his right foot were caught in the fire.

It didn’t burn. Instead, it froze.

Not with some kind of icy cold, that tiny corner of his mind informed him, but with an absolute entropy. The Hunter threw himself backwards, away from the wall of blackness, lest continued contact cause it to spread. He quickly rolled to his feet and immediately moved to crouch behind the column.

A familiar coldness consumed the Hunter’s hand and foot. Perversely, it was in that moment Ace realized that the numbness in his legs had almost completely receded. He shook his head at the irony of the fact that he would allow himself to be struck in such a way again after recovering. 

“Ace!” Mal’s cry of alarm filled his helmet, “Your hand! It’s...”

“I know,” the Hunter growled as the ghost trailed off.

“Your connection to the Light had recovered, so this wasn’t as bad as it could have been,” Mal continued, “But you cannot take any more.”

“Ace, what happened?” Kaizyn asked calmly over the comm.

“Don’t touch the black fire,” Ace answered, “It’ll damage your connection to the Light.”

“We figured that would be the case after those swords, didn’t we?” Kaijae commented, “I mean, I did.”

Dôl Arnách issued another outraged shriek as Kaijae chuckled into the comm link. Kaizyn called out, “She’s moving!”

“Apparently she doesn’t like that we can hide from her attacks so easily when she’s up on that stupid throne,” Kaijae snorted. 

Ace raised his rifle and looked for the last sniper. If the Wizard was angry at the Titans for their continued attacks, then she would likely ignore the Hunter for the moment. And a moment was all he needed.

The Hive Adherent fell dead a second later and Ace began running for a new place to hide. As he did, he glanced over his shoulder to the dais. The Wizard was moving toward the portal gateway and the Titans taking cover nearby. Ace then looked to the crystal. Perhaps the Wizard needed to stay on the platform in order to maintain the barrier protecting the glowing stone.

The shielding magic was still displayed in his helmet’s visor. Ace raised his weapon and opened fire upon the Wizard. His first round struck the back of her helmet squarely in the center. Dôl Arnách whipped about as his next three rounds struck her body. 

Even though he stood a good fifty meters away, Ace felt too close as she pointed the staff’s capstone at him. The Hunter dove to the side as the black beam tore across the ground toward where he had been standing. Swiftly regaining his feet, he began firing his scout rifle again. The Wizard cried out as a piece of her helmet cracked and splinters of chitin fell. Instead of raising her staff, Dôl Arnách waved a hand in Ace’s direction and he found himself standing in a choking miasma once again.

The Hunter knew that he had to move immediately. He couldn’t see out from within the blinding cloud of darkness; there was no way for him see any incoming attacks to avoid them. Ace threw himself forward, assuming that an attack was imminent, and then rolled to his feet. He began sprinting even before he had fully gained his balance. 

Disoriented by the Wizard’s miasma, Ace burst out of the dark cloud and slammed into a large stone. “Ouch,” he grumbled as he scrambled to keep moving.

“It’s a good thing you wear a helmet,” Mal quietly commented before advising, “Stop here. She’s to your right on the other side of this stone.”

Ace followed his ghost’s instruction and leaned against the stone. He glanced behind him to see another sheet of blackness cutting through the heavy cloud he had just exited. The Hunter didn’t know how close he had been to being struck again, nor did he care. He was simply grateful to have avoided the attack.

“How close is she?” Ace quietly asked.

“She’s moving away, hunting Jae,” Kaizyn answered. Ace glanced about for a couple seconds before finally spotting the Titan. She was standing near the dead Adherents. Kaizyn suddenly bent down to pick up one of the Soulfire Rifles. Twilin immediately transmatted the Hive weapon away, to be broken down for material components.

Ace turned back around and leaned around the stone to find Dôl Arnách. He could hear Kaijae’s heavy breathing over the comm link as the Titan was running from one point of cover to another. Then, the Striker called out, “Did you find anything that can be used?”

“A little bit,” Twilin answered, “A handful of rounds.”

“Good. We ca- arrgh!” Kaijae cried out.

Ace jumped up onto the rock in order to get a better view. The Hunter had feared that his teammate had been struck by the Wizard’s dark fire, but he did not see any evidence such an attack. “Jae? What happened?” Ace and Kaizyn both cried out.

“I’ve been shot!” Kaijae answered, “There’s more Hive!”

Even as the Striker spoke, Ace spotted the Hive. Another pair of Adherents had hidden themselves amongst the rocks and columns. Unfortunately, the Hunter did not see the snipers before they saw him. A void blast pierced the Guardian’s left shoulder in the same instant that he realized that the Hive sniper was aiming at him.

Tumbling backward off the rock, Ace instinctively grabbed his wounded shoulder in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It took him a moment to remember that Exominds do not bleed. It was then that he noticed that a familiar coldness radiating out from the wounded area.

“It’s another one of those weapons, Ace,” Mal warned, “Your Light-”

“I know,” Ace snapped at the ghost. Then he spoke up loudly, “Guys, there’s a pair of snipers over by her throne. Don’t get shot.”

“I’ll take care of them,” Kaijae called out, “You guys keep her busy for me.”

The Hunter didn’t reply. He simply stepped around the rock and found the Wizard hovering a couple dozen meters way. Ace raised his rifle and began firing.

Dôl Arnách raised her staff to retaliate when Kaizyn fired. The Wizard’s helmet practically exploded. Ace looked back to see Kaizyn crouched in a steadying firing position with her sniper rifle. Twilin had apparently managed to break down and convert the energy and some of the material in the Hive weapons into ammunition for the Sentinel’s weapon. Kaizyn fired again.

Dôl Arnách’s shriek of pain brought a smile to Ace’s face as he went to resume his attack. Before the Hunter could fire again, he had to scramble for cover; the Wizard began to wave her staff wildly, sending sheets of the debilitating black fire up at random. Ace found himself wedged between two such walls of darkness as he huddled behind a column.

“Damn it,” Kaizyn muttered quietly.

“Are you okay? Were you hit?” Ace asked with concern.

“Almost,” the Titan answered, “I’m fine.”

“How about you, Kaijae?” Ace called out to their other companion, “Have you dealt with our friends over there?”

“One... sec...” Kaijae grunted with each syllable. Ace thought he could overhear the sound of heavy punching. “Yeah. They’re down,” the Titan finally finished.

“She’s gone nuts with that staff over here, be careful,” Ace warned.

“It looks like she is calming down,” Kaijae replied, “What did you do to her face?”

“Nothing compared to this,” Kaizyn announced.

Ace glanced up to see Kaizyn step out from behind the large rock she had used for cover. He expected to see her raise that LDR 5001 sniper once more, to repeat the attack that had shattered the Wizard’s helmet. Instead, Kaizyn raised her rocket launcher, the unmistakable Suros logo emblazoned across the side of the weapon’s chassis.

The Hunter whispered, “Mal, please tell me the Wizard isn’t close to us.”

Before the ghost could answer, Kaizyn pulled the trigger. Fire belched forth from the JLB’s tube as the rocket launched and flew over the Hunter’s head. He heard the explosion an instant later, far enough away that he wasn’t within the blast radius.

“She’s down!” Kaijae crowed triumphantly.

Ace fought the urge to celebrate. Instead, he turned back to the floating crystal and cried out, “Now’s our chance!” 

The Hunter raised his rifle and began firing. He could hear Kaizyn doing the same while Kaijae rushed to join them. He was too far away to bring his hand cannon to bear.

It wasn’t until he paused to reload his rifle that Ace finally heard Mal calling out to him. “Ace! Stop!” the ghost shouted. 

“What’s wrong?” the Hunter asked.

“The barrier is still there,” Mal explained, “Look. You’re wasting ammo.”

In the excitement of Dôl Arnách’s fall, Ace had failed to noticed the barrier’s display remained. The Hunter turned away from the crystal to look at his teammates. The confusion he felt was apparent in his voice, “Why is the barrier still there?”

“I don’t know, but I think we triggered another one of her traps!” Kaijae answered. The Titan had joined the Hunter and was pointing in the direction of where the Wizard had fallen. Ace looked over to see a small portal opening over Dôl Arnách’s lifeless body.

Chittering, screeching Thrall began to pour out of the gateway. A flood of teeth and claws. In the blink of an eye, a score of the scrabbling drones had passed through the glowing doorway, with more following. All three Guardians raised their weapons and began to fire. 

As Hive bodies began falling, Kaizyn shouted over the gunfire, “Ace! Take Mal and find out why that barrier is still active!”

Ace lowered his Hung Jury and followed the Titan’s instruction. He raised a hand, summoning the ghost, as he drew near to the floating gem. Just a couple meters away, the glow issuing forth was blindingly brilliant, the Hunter had difficultly looking directly at the crystal. Unaffected by such things, Mal immediately moved closer and began scanning the barrier.

“I cannot detect any flaws or weaknesses in this barrier that we could exploit,” the ghost said a few seconds later.

Ace moved so that he could see the stone in the corner of his vision and then asked, “What about the power source? Can you detect where the barrier is being powered from?”

“Yes,” Mal answered quickly, “It’s being generated by the Wizard.”

“But she’s dead!” Ace argued.

“I agree. I detect no signs of life from her body, but the fact remains that the barrier is being maintained by a link to Dôl Arnách’s body over there.”

“Do we have to kill her some  _ more? _ ” Kaijae called out.

Ace considered the Titan’s comment. He wondered if his teammate may be onto something. Perhaps they needed to obliterate the Wizard’s body in order to unravel whatever Hive magic she had managed to weave. Obviously, her death triggered a portal to open. Maybe these Thrall were meant to distract any assailants from destroying her body before it could revived.

The Hunter was about to instruct Kaizyn to fire another rocket at the corpse, when a shadow passed through the crystal. Ace squinted against the brilliant glare as he gazed directly into the crystal. His eyes tried to tell him that they hurt, but the Exo knew that his optics could not be so easily damaged. He did not have Human eyes.

The shadow moved from one side to the next, barely perceptible in the depths of light pouring out. The Hunter was about to call Mal’s attention to the spectacle when the ghost cried out, “Ace! Ace! It’s gone!”

As Mal tried to explain, Kaijae and Kaizyn both began shouting as well. The Titans were yelling, “It’s happening again! Her body is burning!”

Ace turned about to look to his teammates. Several meters away from where they stood, Dôl Arnách’s body had erupted with green flames once again. The Hunter knew what it signified just as much as the Titans did.

Mal suddenly flew into Ace’s face, the metallic shell slammed into the Hunter’s visor. “Ace!” the ghost screamed, “The barrier is down!”

He didn’t think. He immediately acted. Ace spun back around and fired. He could see splinters of the crystal fly away as the first handful of rounds from his rifle struck the stone.

And then the rounds were deflected once again. Ace didn’t need Mal’s observation to know that the barrier had been reinstated.

Dôl Arnách’s laughter filled the air.


	35. Chapter 35

“Miserable, pitiful fools,” Dôl Arnách mocked, “See how your Light can be properly used. You insects will be crushed. Your Light will be mine.”

Hunkering down behind a large boulder, near the crystal, Ace snarled, “Is she using the Light to revive herself?”

“No,” Mal replied immediately, “This is the Ascendant Plane. According to Toland, the power of this place allows some of the Hive to revive themselves. They call it a Throne World, but they have to be incredibly powerful to create such a place.”

Ace looked up at the shining crystal. “That’s what she is stealing the Light for. She is using it to power this place,” he whispered with horrified awe.

“That  _ would _ explain why she is using so much of her power to shield it,” Mal mused, “A Hive with a Throne World can only be truly killed inside it. Destroying the mechanism that keeps this place intact would likely destroy her.”

“Okay. Now we have a plan,” Ace declared triumphantly.

“That’s great. I’m very happy to hear this,” came Kaijae’s dry response, “Now, can you come help us out over here?”

Ace stood up and looked about, taking stock of the battlefield. Only a handful walls of darkness, each of varying length, rose up in into the air. The older sheets of black fire had faded and disappeared. The portal that had opened near the Wizard’s corpse remained, situated near the midpoint between the dais and the archway. Thrall continued to trickle through the smaller doorway, each one dashing off in different directions as they hunted the Guardians hiding amongst the stones and columns.

“Get! Off!” Kaizyn suddenly shouted.

Ace moved. He could see Kaijae hurl his grenade charge at the floating Wizard; the explosive erupted from the ground directly below Dôl Arnách and tendrils of Arc energy leapt up to burn the Wizard’s body. The Hunter rushed off to the side, trying to spot Kaizyn.

He found her a couple seconds later. The Titan was surrounded by a handful of dead Thralls and she was currently punching another into lifelessness. “Stay down!” she roared with one last brutal blow. The diminutive Hive dropped to the ground, clutching at a crushed chest cavity.

“Guys?” Kaijae called out, “What is she doing?”

Ace looked back to Dôl Arnách. The Wizard held her staff aloft as a dark mass of energy gathered above the capstone. The ball quickly grew in size before his eyes, similar to the giant fireball attack she employed in the other room. Dôl Arnách stared down at the column behind which Kaijae was crouched.

“Jae! Move!” Kaizyn screamed. Ace concurred.

Mentally summoning his trusted Thunderlord, the Hunter tried to stop the Wizard’s attack. But Dôl Arnách ignored the barrage of bullets and Arc energy. Even as a few rounds struck her in the side of her face and cruelly burned her flesh, Dôl Arnách continued to focus on gathering the energy until she suddenly lowered her staff. The ball moved with the capstone.

“Move!” Kaizyn screamed once again.

And he did. Kaijae leapt up and bolted; away from his current position. Dôl Arnách took her staff and “pushed” on the giant, black orb. Ace and Kaizyn continued to fire at the Wizard, futilely trying distract her or do grievous enough harm to interrupt whatever she was about to attempt.

The capstone touched the dark sphere and the ball of power launched forward at tremendous speed. It hurtled toward the column with unworldly speed and then erupted as soon as it touched the rock. The explosion was silent. Ace and Kaizyn’s weapons both lowered slowly as the two watched the spectacle with dumbfounded horror. The orb instantly tripled in size, to four or five times the height of a Guardian, and blotted out their view of the fleeing Kaijae.

The erupted sphere of blackness silently hung in the air, unmoving for several long seconds. Shaking off the shock, Kaizyn found her voice and shouted, “Jae? Are you okay? Answer me!”

“I’m fine,” Kaijae answered.

“Get to cover and stay down,” Ace replied, “We’ll take ca-”

Ace cut short as the sphere disappeared. The column was gone. In its stead, a mountain of fine sand spilled down onto the floor. Just beyond the edge of the mound, Kaijae lay on the floor.

“Jae?” Kaizyn called out, “Get up! Move!”

“I may have lied,” Kaijae groaned.

Ace looked closer at the downed Titan. “He can’t,” the Hunter whispered, “His leg.”

Dôl Arnách floated over to where Kaijae laid, laughing with delight. “Little insect. Skitter across the floor. Your Light will not save you.”

As if waiting for this cue, a score of Thrall suddenly rushed out from rocky tors and large boulders to surround the Titan. Kaizyn leapt forward and began sprinting toward her fallen love. Dôl Arnách barked another delighted laugh as she lazily swung her staff in the charging Sentinel’s direction.

The black beam struck her in the leg before continuing on to the ground behind her. Kaizyn ignored the attack even as the the ensuing sheet of dark fire erupted from the point of contact. Ace watched began moving, expecting to see her fall to the insidious attack, but the fire merely flared briefly and then disappeared. Kaizyn stumbled for a moment before she continued moving.

Ace changed direction and began moving to the side, raising his Thunderlord once again to fire. Instead of aiming for the Wizard, though, the Hunter fired at the swarming Thrall. He released a short burst, but that was all he needed. The Arc energy stored within the heavy machine gun’s rounds erupted upon impact and grew in strength as the energy chained from one Thrall to another. In a short moment, all of the chittering Hive fell to the ground.

Just before Kaizyn arrived. She ignored the twitching bodies underfoot as she trampled her way to Kaijae. Ace was about to call out a warning as he saw Dôl Arnách raised her staff again when the Sentinel suddenly threw her arms out wide and summoned her Ward of Dawn.

The Wizard’s attack struck the Void barrier, but nothing happened. Ace waited for the barrier to show a reaction, but there was nothing. Dôl Arnách flew away from the bubble of Light that had appeared at her feet.

“Ace! Come here!” Kaizyn called out.

The Hunter didn’t hesitate and rushed to join his companions. He moved from one point of cover to another, dodging a couple of the Wizard’s attacks before diving through the Ward. As he stood, Ace looked down to Kaijae’s right leg.

Or what was left of it. Zuko zipped about, its metal frame whirling with anxious worry as the ghost tried to affect a revival of its charge. Kaijae’s leg was mangled and crushed from the thigh down. The Titan’s armor looked like a crushed tin can and Ace didn’t want to imagine what had happened to the flesh and bone within.

“I’ve had worse,” Kaijae managed a weak chuckle.

“Why can’t you fix it?” Ace asked the frantic ghost.

“His connection to the Light, to the Traveler,” Zuko stammered, “The Wizard’s attack has damaged it! Badly!”

“Come here,” Ace muttered as he snatched Zuko out of the air. The Hunter closed his eyes as he felt Zuko access his own connection to the Light and build a bridge to Kaijae.

“Guys! Hurry up!” Kaizyn shouted.

Ace opened his eyes to see Dôl Arnách preparing another ball of darkness. The Hunter groaned inwardly before asking, “Think your Ward can hold up against that?”

“No,” Kaizyn answered flatly.

A moment later, Kaijae appeared with a resurrection flash. Ace continued to focus on the growing orb of energy. It was taking longer to grow than the first time.

“We have a chance,” Kaizyn announced. She had noticed the difference as well. “Start running now. Different directions. Go!”

Ace didn’t hesitate. He began running toward the dais. The raised platform was large enough that he would be out of reach if he was on the opposite side. Kaizyn wasn’t far from him, the Hunter noticed, but she was running for the glowing crystal. He suspected that she figured that Dôl Arnách would not risk launching the attack anywhere near the thing.

Ace attempted to leap up onto the dais, figuring it would be quicker to go over than around, when he slammed into the platform’s wall. The Hunter’s damaged leg was unable to channel sufficient energy to perform the boost he needed to reach the top. He could summon some of it, enough to delay his fall, but no more.

“Damn it,” he groaned, swiftly pivoting from the one course to another.

“Ace! Keep moving!” Kaijae shouted.

The Hunter ignored the temptation to look over his shoulder at the approaching doom. His only hope was to put enough of the Wizard’s throne platform between himself and the attack. Ace put his head down and leaned forward, sprinting harder than he ever had before.

“Ace!” Kaizyn screamed suddenly.

The Hunter, confused by her outcry, slowed enough to glance about. As he looked over his shoulder, Ace saw the sphere of darkness only a few meters behind him. As hoped, the dais was large enough to shield him from the Wizard’s attack.

“I’m okay,” Ace called out, “And I mean  _ really _ okay. I’m not a liar like Kaijae.”

“You know, I can  leave,” Kaijae threatened, “I can see the portal back to home just below me.”

Kaijae had ran to the portal archway, believing that Dôl Arnách would not want to destroy the gateway. Mentally, Ace kicked himself for not having the same idea as either of the Titans.

“Try it,” Kaizyn muttered into the comm, “With your Light so badly damaged, we’ll have to scrape you off the rocks.”

Ace wanted to join in the quippy banter, but he was a little unnerved by the silent menace of the giant sphere. Such a terrible attack, yet the most unsettling aspect was the absolute quiet of it. As a Guardian, the Hunter was used to explosions of all different magnitudes. He had even once been caught near a Cabal orbital bombardment that required a full revival from Mal just to restore auditory sensation. The utter lack of any sound as the orb obliterated everything within was disturbing. 

As the sphere disappeared, a large mountain of sand poured onto the floor as the affected dais, decorative archway, and throne, had all been turned into so much rubble. Ace could see through where the platform once stood; he had a direct line of sight to Dôl Arnách.

And the Wizard had a direct line of sight at him. Shrieking with rage, apparently upset that her own attack had destroyed the structure, she directed a black beam at the Hunter. Ace dove to the side, behind what remained of the dais, avoiding the attack.

Dôl Arnách screamed again. This time, it did not sound like one of outrage. Ace was now near the stairs that had led up to the throne. He raced up the steps to see what had happened.

The Wizard was using her hands to pat out fires that had taken hold of her robes. Ace looked down to where Kaizyn crouched next to the gleaming crystal, loading a fresh munition shell into her rocket launcher. The Hunter then spotted movement near the Titan as a handful of Thrall, freshly spawned from the smaller portal nearby, fanned out to flank her. Ace then overheard Kaijae’s wordless roar as he charged toward the Wizard with his Bonekruscher.

The Hunter swapped in his trusted Hung Jury and raised it to his cheek. “I got you covered, Kaizyn,” he assured her, “Take the shot.”

As the first Thrall moved to attack, Ace fired. The round found the creature’s skull and it dropped after only two steps. Two more leapt forward and the Hunter swiftly dispatched them in similar fashion. He expected the final pair to hesitate, but Ace didn’t have enough experience dealing with the Hive. The last two Thrall charged as well. Ace needed a couple shots to kill the first and then almost lost the second as it passed behind a column on its way toward Kaizyn. Ace found it a few steps later and was able to stop the Thrall a mere three steps away from the Titan.

Kaizyn fired.

Dôl Arnách had initially leveled her staff in the Sentinel’s direction, but the Striker’s charge with his heavy machine gun drew her attention. The rocket had been very painful and she was having difficulty moving her left arm, but that machine gun was striking the unarmored portion of her face. The indignity of the pain was infuriating. She would squash this insect and then deal with the other two. She leveled the staff and directed the black crystal to fire.

Kaijae saw the incoming attack and dodged to the side. The beam cut the ground directly next to where he stood. The Titan moved away from the wall of black fire that erupted in the beam’s wake. As he moved, another beam cut across the stone floor on the opposite side of the rocky tor he stood behind, trapping him.

Kaijae heard the Wizard’s laughter grow louder as she approached, “Insect. Fool. Your struggles are futile and your Light now belongs to Dôl Arnách.”

Ace watched Kaizyn’s rocket strike the Wizard squarely in the chest, the explosion sending her tumbling backwards to the floor. The Hunter raised his scout rifle, using the scope to inspect the fallen Hive. “Kaijae! Can you make it over here?” he shouted.

“I think so,” Kaijae answered, “Is she down? I can’t see anything from behind all this fire.”

“She hasn’t moved yet,” Ace responded, “We need all the firepower we can get when that barrier drops.”

Kaijae didn’t reply. He simply started running. He had to take a few steps to get around the wall of fire before turning toward the center of the island. Ace continued to focus on the Wizard’s body, mentally preparing himself for this to be another trap of some kind. At the edge of his vision, the Exo saw his Awoken companion running toward the crystal. The Titan’s legs moved sluggishly as exhaustion crept into his limbs.

“Ace! We have company!” Kaizyn called out.

The Hunter turned away from the Wizard’s body and saw a fresh flood of Thrall pouring out from the small portal. He nodded. This was a good sign.

“Kaizyn, you handle our new friends. Kaijae, please hurry a little faster,” Ace instructed.

The Hunter brought his faithful Thunderlord back out and began loading a fresh belt of ammunition into the receiver. It was the last belt. Kaizyn’s Shadow Price began ringing out as she eliminated any Thrall that stepped into the open. Kaijae’s heavy breathing filled the comm link as he attempted to move even faster, despite the overwhelming weariness he felt.

The barrier disappeared just as Ace closed his weapon’s receiver. He yanked back the charging handle to load the first round and then pulled the trigger. Thunderlord lived up to its name, filling the air with Arc energy and a bone-rattling roar. Tiny flecks and chips flew away from the crystal as it’s structure struggled to hold up under the hail of bullets. The chips became chunks as Kaijae’s Bonekruscher joined the barrage. Ace could see the fracture grow even as he saw the telltale shadow pass within the depths.

_ Not now! We are so close!  _ Ace thought to himself.

“Keep firing! We’ve got this!” he shouted aloud.

Kaizyn spun around and added her own rifle to the assault. Ace mentally tried to calculate how much time they had remaining before the barrier reappeared, based on the last time, but even the machine part of his brain was too focused on the task.

Suddenly, the crystal shattered. Light poured out from the rapidly dimming shards. Ace felt a warmth suffuse his body where it touched him and he allowed himself a wide smile of satisfaction. He looked down to the ammunition count on his weapon and saw a single, bright two. Only a pair of rounds left. The Hunter looked to his left to see Kaijae holding his Eyasluna. The Titan’s Bonekruscher had run out of ammunition and he had resorted to the hand cannon.

Dôl Arnách’s piercing scream was a mixture of frustration, outrage, and pure terror. All three Guardians turned to see the revived Wizard clutching her staff with both hands, shaking with unbridled fury.

“How dare you?” she screamed, “Dôl Arnách will destroy you for this impudence! Your Light will be the first to rebuild that!”

The Wizard raised the staff up high and began summoning another ball of darkness. Ace could hear his companions shouting about getting to cover, but he ignored their words. Instead, the Gunslinger closed his eyes and felt the pools of power that lay within. The Light that had poured out from the shattered crystal had been absorbed by his body and flowed into the well. The largest one was, once again, threatening to burst and overflow. Ace relaxed his restraining hold on the power. Solar energy burst forth and surged through his entire being to manifest in a fiery explosion within his hand, leaving a burning Golden Gun behind.

Ace pointed the sun at Dôl Arnách’s face and fired.


	36. Chapter 36

Dôl Arnách’s staff fell to the floor with a clatter as the ashes of her remains blew away in an unfelt breeze. Ace lowered his hand, the Solar Light within him spent. Kaijae and Kaizyn both stood mute, unmoving as the spectacle of the Gunslinger’s fire registered.

Finally, Kaizyn broke the silence with a quiet whisper, “Was that it? Is she done?”

Kaijae looked to the crystal’s shattered remains. The scrabbling sound of claws on stone caught his attention. The Titan looked beyond the shards to see the remaining Thrall scattering, racing back to the portal that brought them here. Understanding struck the Awoken, “They know something. They’re running.”

“Let’s get to that portal, too!” Kaizyn cried out.

“Wait,” Ace held up his hand, “There is another weapon we need to destroy.”

The island began to shake, causing all three Guardians to stumble as they fought to remain steady. A pair of taller columns tumbled over and cracked against the ground. The smaller portal that the final pair of Thrall were currently trying to clamber through suddenly collapsed, destroying the Hive that were still only halfway through.

“So much for that way out,” Kaijae muttered.

“We didn’t want that one,” Ace countered, “We don’t know where it led. It could have been suicide.”

The Hunter didn’t wait for an acknowledgement, but began running toward the staff on the floor. Despite the shaking ground, which grew more violent with every second, Ace managed to maintain his balance. As he drew close, noticeable cracks began appearing in the ground.

Scooping up the staff as he passed, Ace pivoted and began heading toward the archway containing the larger portal. Kaijae and Kaizyn were already passing by the towering gateway, toward the island’s edge and the drop off that led to the islands far below.

A fissure split the ground in front of the Hunter as one half of the island suddenly rose up whilst the other dropped down. The sudden shift caused Ace to trip over his own legs. Rolling with the tumble, swiftly back up on his feet, the Hunter called to his teammates, “Keep going! I’ll catch up!”

“There’s a problem, Ace,” Kaijae’s quiet reply came clearly over the comm.

“Jae has no power,” Kaizyn explained, “This jump will kill him.”

Leaping up to grab hold of the ground that had risen up in front of him, Ace pulled himself up onto the half of the island he needed. Rising to his feet, unsteady from the continued tremors, the Hunter shook his head, “Kaizyn, can’t you help him? Use your own power to slow-“

“No, Ace,” Kaizyn answered. The Exo looked up to see the Awoken couple standing at the island’s edge, embracing one another. Despite the violent shaking that tore the ground apart, they remained steady in each other’s arms. Kaizyn continued, “My own Light was damaged as well. I can feel it.”

“Go, buddy,” Kaijae whispered as Ace drew close, not looking up from his mate, “Take that awful thing and make sure it is destroyed. And...” the Titan took a long breath, “Take care of my love.”

Kaijae took hold of Kaizyn in his strong hands and hurled her to the side, over the edge. Kaizyn screamed, “What are you doing? Jae! Noooo!”

Kaijae looked down at the falling Kaizyn and whispered, “I know that you have enough power to save yourself, my love. You can survive this fall.”

“No! I don’t want to leave you!” Kaizyn’s anguished cry filled the air.

“You idiot,” Ace muttered.

“Just because I can’t leave, doesn’t mean she-“ Kaijae’s protest was cut off as Ace, still running and without slowing, tackled the Titan. The two fell forward, over the island’s edge.

“Ace? What are you doing?” Kaijae protested.

The Hunter ignored the Titan. Calmly, he called out, “Kaizyn. Stand by for rez. Let’s hope it’s not necessary.”

As the three Guardians fell, they could see the islands below disintegrating under the force of the tremors. The gigantic island, the one that housed the massive labyrinth, had been reduced to a tremendous mass of unrecognizable rubble. The smaller islands that formed the chain leading down were slowly falling apart as well. Ace could see that progress was advancing depending on how far down the chain they were located. The platforms nearest the top were still mostly whole while those at the bottom had disintegrated as well.

“Will there be time?” Kaizyn whispered. They were still very far from their target. The island had been only the size of their fist when they began falling. Ace could see the progression of the Ascendant Plane’s collapse in the destruction of the lower platforms. He couldn’t tell if they were falling faster than the space was unraveling.

“If there’s not, know that it was a pleasure fighting by your sides,” Ace replied.

“Great. My last moments are going to filled with this drivel,” Kaijae muttered.

“You know, I can leave,” Ace responded dryly, “I can see the portal and could leave you here while I just aim for it without you.”

Kaijae laughed while Kaizyn muttered, “I really hope this nonsense isn’t  _ my _ last moments.”

Ace and Kaijae both watched their companion plummet closer to the awaiting ground below. She briefly activated her Lift power, slowing her descent. However, the unbalanced projection of power caused her to lurch to one side and almost tumble over. Kaizyn carefully contorted her body and reactivated her Lift power. With a series of similar activations, the Titan was able to slow her descent sufficiently. She slammed in the ground with a painful thud, one that she suspected had resulted in more than one broken rib, but Kaizyn was able to stand and begin moving.

As Kaizyn began slowing her descent, several dozen meters below them, Ace spoke, “I know you don’t have much, but I need to you to try. When I sa-”

“There is no power!” Kaijae protested.

“There is some,” Ace calmly answered, “Even the tiniest bit may be the difference. Now. Do it.”

The stone floor of the large island had grown large enough that Ace was able to see fissures growing across its surface. The last of the smaller platforms and floating rocks had been obliterated. Then he felt the Titan’s body suddenly grow lighter. It did not slow his fall in any way, but Ace smiled nonetheless. The Hunter closed his eyes and willed as much power as possible into his legs as he kicked.

Ace felt himself slow considerably as Kaijae’s weight continued to pull down. He felt as if his arms were going to be yanked from his shoulders as he fought to keep hold on the plummeting Titan. Kaijae’s momentum continued to pull Ace down. The Hunter kicked again.

Kaijae’s momentum broke. Unfortunately, so did Ace’s hold on the Titan. He didn’t have enough time to reset his hold, so when he activated his send Boost, he was unable to maintain his hold. They both tumbled to the floor.

Ace rolled to his feet, left arm hanging limp at his side as the shoulder sat in an unnatural position. The Hunter didn’t seem to notice the destroyed clavicle as he turned about to his teammate. Kaijae body lay sprawled across the floor, his chest heaving. The Titan survived.

“Jae! Your leg!” Kaizyn rushed forward to help the Striker rise up from the floor. Ace then noticed that the Titan’s right leg was bent sideways, having collapsed under the force of impact.

“I’m getting used to it now,” Kaijae hissed. Ace could tell that the words were issued through gritted teeth.

“Move!” Kaizyn ordered.

Kaijae groaned in pain as he allowed Kaizyn to move into supporting position at his side. Zuko materialized at the Titan’s side, but Kaijae pushed the ghost away. “Not now,” he whispered.

Ace looked down to his feet to find the staff had broken into multiple pieces in his tumble. With his remaining good hand, the Hunter snatched up the top of the weapon, the piece that held the black crystal. A violent tremor knocked him to the floor as he attempted to stand.

“Mal! Take it!” Ace shouted. He needed use of his only good hand. The capstone and portion of staff disappeared with a blue flash. The Hunter pushed himself up to his feet and scrambled toward the portal. He saw Kaijae and Kaizyn draw close. He saw them slow as they drew near and roared, “Keep going! Don’t wait!”

“Idiot,” Ace heard Kaizyn mutter. The Titan suddenly shoved Kaijae through the doorway before turning around. The Hunter sighed with resignation as Kaizyn raced back toward him. They were all three idiots.

Another violent upheaval threw Ace forward. Unbalanced as he was, the Hunter fell to the floor again when Kaizyn’s strong hands grabbed hold of his broken shoulder. The Exo disassociated himself from the overwhelming pain and focused only on placing one foot in front of the other, as quickly as possible.

So focused he was on the mechanics of running, Ace didn’t realize that he had passed through the gateway until he tripped over Kaijae’s prone form.

“Thanks... for stepping... on the bad one,” Kaijae groaned, “At least... that is... a new kind of pain.”

——————

Returned from the Ascendant Plane, their ghosts were able to more easily effect full reconstitutions. Pain rapidly fading into memory, the three Guardians turned back to inspect the portal archway. The structure still stood, physically separated as it was from the collapsing Throne World it connected to. However, the power that fueled its connection to the other side was destroyed and cracks had appeared in the surface of the structure, marring the Hive runes that decorated its face.

Kaijae moved to one side so that he could sit on the floor and lean back against a wall as Zuko inspected him. Kaizyn and Ace both moved to the entrance that fed into the portal room, watching for any Hive that may still be patrolling the space. The Hunter hoped that there would be no more fighting, he was extremely low on ammunition and suspected that the same held true for his teammates.

“How bad is it?” Kaijae asked when Zuko finally stopped zipping about.

“You are lucky,” the ghost proclaimed, “Your connection to the Traveler remains intact, even if it is only by a thread. It will recover.”

Kaijae slowly rose to his feet, the exhaustion he felt from the long battle still burned into his freshly repaired muscles. The Titan looked to the other two Guardians and stated, “Good. Let’s get out of here.”

“Transmat ready,” Zuko announced.

“Let’s go,” Kaizyn commanded.

With a flash of blue light, Ace suddenly found himself sitting in the cockpit of his ship. He reached up and undid the clasps on his helmet and removed the armor. Despite any actual physical mechanism that would facilitate appreciation of fresh air, the Exo closed his eyes as he performed the facsimile off taking a deep breath. The action triggered a profound sense of relief within him. Ace took several more.

Mal unfolded in the space above the ship’s throttle. “We have company,” the ghost stated calmly.

Ace glanced down at the radar display on his console. There were three extra indicators. They were registered by the onboard computer as friendly contacts. The Hunter flipped a switch on the communications control panel and suddenly a conversation in progress filled the cabin.

“-eam are directed by Vanguard command to report back to The Tower at once,” a raspy voice instructed. Ace thought he recognized it as the voice of one of Cayde’s scouts.

“Fine,” Kaijae’s voice responded.

“Very good,” the other voice replied, “We will inform the Commander to expect your report shortly. See you soon.”

Ace reached over to deactivate the switch and toggled another. Kaizyn’s voice greeted him almost immediately, “Did you catch that, Ace?”

“Most of it,” the Hunter answered, “We’re called back to the Tower. We in trouble?”

“Not sure,” Kaijae answered, “They were waiting for us in orbit. I think they were about to leave when we came out.”

“Bad timing,” Ace muttered, “Did they follow us?”

“Maybe,” Kaizyn mused, “But they wouldn’t have had any way through the portal.”

“We were down there a very long time for them to sit and wait for us,” Kaijae replied.

“Maybe they were scouting the activity of those Fallen we saw,” Kaizyn offered.

“Doesn’t matter,” Ace answered finally, “Let’s get going and deliver our report.”

——————

Two hours later, the team had finished providing an accounting of their activities to the three Vanguard leaders. The meeting was held in Commander Zavala’s private office, rather than the more public Vanguard office. All six sat comfortably through the proceeding, although Cayde managed to appeared even more bored than usual as he leaned his chair back.

“Despite the fact that you three ignored my instructions not to pursue this matter, you did eliminate a terrible threat to us all. I commend you for that,” Zavala declared.

“How many Guardians did that Wizard kill in order to gather enough power to create an actual Throne World?” Ikora wondered quietly.

“I wish we knew,” Zavala gravely replied, “But she is gone and their Light has been freed to return to the Traveler.”

“Not all of it,” Kaizyn protested, “We weren’t able to destroy all of the weapons she created.”

“Bah! Don’t worry about it,” Cayde called from his corner of the room, “You were busy killing a Hive... what would we call it? A mini-god? Pseudo god? A god lite?”

“A demigod,” Ikora interrupted, “And Cayde is right. You have done plenty by eliminating such a threat. Only a Hive god has the power to create a real Throne World, but Dôl Arnách was able to create a functional facsimile with the power she stole from us.”

“Indeed,” Zavala nodded, “Do not worry about those weapons you three left behind. When her Throne World collapsed, everything within was destroyed. Including her vile creations.”

Ikora stood up, “Now, there is the matter of you three disobeying a direct command.”

Zavala rose and looked down at the weary fireteam. After a long pause, he spoke, “You three are hereby grounded. Holliday has received instruction that your ships are not to leave the hanger for two full weeks. Any expenses that would normally require you to undertake a Vanguard mission to afford will be covered by the Vanguard. You three will reflect on your actions during this time.”

Ace blinked. They were going to be paid to sit and think for the next two weeks?

Cayde jumped up to join the other Vanguard leaders, “That’s right. You three need to think long and hard about your behavior. Completely unacceptable.”

“Dismissed,” Zavala announced.

As the three Guardians stood up, Ikora quietly announced, “When your flight status is reinstated and you three are cleared to resume Vanguard duties, know that we may call on you in the event that any more of Dôl Arnách’s weapons turn up.”

“Good point,” Zavala nodded, “Your experience and firsthand knowledge would be invaluable in dealing with any such threat presenting itself.”

The team nodded and made obsequious farewells as they departed Zavala’s chamber. All three felt tremendous relief at being let off with such a non-punishment. Ace had expected to be assigned some kind of menial labor as punishment when they received the summons. Neither of the three wanted to risk their good fortune and made haste to leave.

It was not until they were back up to the main courtyard level of the Tower that any of the team were willing to discuss what had occurred.

“Told you they wanted us to go after her,” Kaizyn stated.

“How do you figure?” Kaijae asked.

“They just gave us a two week vacation,” Ace explained.

“Oh. A vacation would be kind of nice.”

——————

As soon as the door closed behind the departing fireteam, Cayde strode across the room to activate the locking mechanism. As he turned around, the Hunter Vanguard commented, “Y’know, two weeks isn’t very long for what they just did for us.”

Cayde settled into one of the chairs that the Guardians had just vacated. Zavala sat back down into his own seat before replying, “I know. But we need them sooner than you know.”

Ikora produced a data tablet and handed it to Cayde as she explained, “This is the list of weapons that Dôl Arnách catalogued in the World’s Grave. It includes a couple recipients that are already known to us and have proven... troublesome.”

“We now understand why are such difficult targets to eliminate,” Zavala sighed heavily. The weight of sending Guardians to their death weighed heavily on the Commander.

Cayde looked over the list before handing the tablet back to the Warlock Vanguard. “These thing certainly sound nasty.

“Ophiuchus is poring over the data that their ghosts provided,” Ikora responded, “They were able to take very detailed, deep scans of the items before they were destroyed. He will provide reports for us all to review once complete.”

“Yes, it’s good to have that intel available to us,” Zavala stated, “I am pleased that your scouts instructed them to report to us. We likely would not have this data otherwise.”

Cayde shrugged, “I’m just glad Berren stumbled across them. He was chasing rumors of a House of Wolves revival when he spotted their ships.”

Zavala sat forward, concern clouding his Awoken face, “Do we need to reach out to the Reef?”

Cayde shook his head and gave an Exo equivalent of a grim, “Nah. Just an upstart Captain with delusions of grandeur. Berren sent down a sniper and put an end to the nonsense.”

Zavala nodded gratefully and the three Vanguard leaders turned the conversation to the other reports awaiting their attention.


	37. Epilogue

Four days later, the team met again in a quiet glade, just outside the City’s protective wall. The Hunter stood, leaning against his sparrow, as the two Titans rode up on theirs. As they dismounted and unclasped their helmets, Ace stood up straight and strode forward. 

“Ace!” Kaizyn called as she rushed forward, tackling the Hunter with a fierce hug, “It’s good to see you!”

Laughing as he returned the embrace, Ace replied, “Great to see you both as well!”

Kaizyn released the Hunter just in time for Kaijae to step in and deliver a crushing hug of his own. Ace attempted to respond in kind, but couldn’t match the Titan’s strength. A moment later, Kaijae released him and the Hunter stepped away.

“I see you are feeling better,” Ace commented, “Have you fully recovered?”

Kaijae nodded, “Yeah. My connection to the Light is fully restored. It took a couple days, but it’s all back. You?”

“It feels like it, but I...” Ace paused, unsure of what words to use. “I’m afraid,” he finally admitted.

“Afraid of what?” Kaizyn asked, concern written plainly across her face and in her bright purple eyes.

“Afraid to test it,” Ace shrugged, “When that Knight cut me in half, something happened. When I unleashed my Golden Gun, I could only fire a single shot when I normally can fire several.”

“That was a nasty blow from an equally nasty weapon,” Kaijae responded, “It was too soon to test your power in there.”

“Besides,” Kaizyn added, “One shot was plenty for that wretched Wizard.”

“Well, two, actually,” Kaijae quipped. Kaizyn turned to give him a quizzical look. “He shot her twice. Once in the labyrinth room and then once again at the end,” he explained.

Ace chuckled at the exchange and then spoke up, “Well, I do feel much improved since our escape. If you can recover from what happened to you, Jae, so can I.”

“That’s the spirit,” Kaijae replied, a large grin splitting his Awoken face as his yellow eyes shined.

“Well, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, shall we finish this?” Kaizyn asked.

Ace and Kaijae both nodded. The Hunter raised his hand and called out, “Mal. It’s time.”

Mal unfolded into the space above Ace’s shoulder as the staff remains materialized in his open hand. The black crystal glittered invitingly, menacingly in the bright sunlight pouring down. The ghost moved to hover over the weapon’s remains and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this? We can still hand it over to the Vanguard.”

Kaijae answered first, “No. We need to do this.”

Zuko appeared and moved to join Mal before turning to regard the Titan, “Do you not trust the Vanguard?”

Ace spoke up, “It’s not that. We do trust them. This is just something we have to do.”

Kaizyn held up the pair of white crystals as she whispered, “For Deo.”

Ace spotted a rock sitting out in the open and walked over to set the staff’s remains down. Kaizyn set the other two down beside it a moment later. Mal hovered over the black gem and stated, “You will need a lot of power to destroy this one.”

Kaijae looked down at the ghost with puzzlement on his face, “But you said that they could be fairly easily destroyed.”

Mal “nodded” before answering, “These two can be. But this one, belonging to her own personal weapon, it still has much strength.”

Ace glanced over to Kaizyn. “Want to give us a boost?” he asked the Sentinel.

Nodding in reply, Kaizyn then closed her eyes for a moment before releasing the Light she had been building up within. Her Ward of Dawn sprang outward to encompass all three of the Guardians and the crystals laying on the ground before them. Ace could feel the power flowing from Kaizyn’s Ward, infusing his body with strength.

The Gunslinger summoned his Golden Gun and then took a brief moment to savor the sensation of the Solar Light coursing through his body. Ace could feel the power of the Ward of Dawn working to amplify his power. He leveled the weapon of Light at the black stone and fired.

The golden beam of searing fire exploded into the staff’s capstone, disintegrating the chitin remains, but the crystal remained. And so did the Golden Gun. Ace’s face lit up as the truth of his recovered power was made apparent. The Gunslinger fired twice more before lowering his now empty hand. The dark stone had split in two.

Kaijae then released his power and Arc Light erupted from his body. The Striker stepped forward and raised a fist overhead before bringing it down to slam on one of the clear crystals. When Kaijae raised his hand, the gemstone was shattered into pieces. A second blow did the same to the other crystal that Kaizyn set down. Then the Striker raised both clenched fists up high and brought them down upon the two halves of the staff’s capstone. Repeatedly.

When Kaijae’s power had run out, he stepped away and Dôl Arnách’s crystal had also been shattered. Only tiny bits and pieces remained. The teammates looked up to each other and smiled before embracing each other in a group hug.

“I told you that you had nothing to worry about, Ace,” Kaijae chuckled with a friendly clap to one shoulder.

Kaizyn stepped away from the other two Guardians and walked over to her sparrow. She opened a storage compartment to lift out a box. Kaijae lowered himself to sit on the forest floor; Ace followed suit while Kaizyn walked back.

Setting the box down in the middle of the three, Kaizyn sat down with them. Kaijae opened the box and began pulling out its contents. A handful of sandwiches, fried vegetable crisps, a flask, and three glasses. Kaizyn handed the glasses out while Kaijae opened the flask and poured a healthy share into each glass. Whiskey.

The fireteam raised their glasses and, in unison, whispered, “For Deo.”

Ace savored the flavor, grateful that whoever designed his Exomind body had seen fit to give him the ability to appreciate a good drink. He closed his eyes and let the taste bring back memories of the first drink he shared with Deoxys. A smile came to his face.

The Hunter opened his eyes to see Kaijae and Kaizyn both similarly letting the drink remind them of their friend. A tear rolled down Kaizyn’s cheek and, for the briefest instant, Ace was jealous that he was incapable of letting his grief show in such a way. But the feeling passed as quickly as it came and Ace simply allowed the memories to come. He knew that he would finally be able to allow himself to sleep again.

Kaizyn passed out the packed lunch and the three settled in to enjoy the picnic.

——————

Almost an hour later, the chatting Guardians stopped their discussion as the sound of an approaching Sparrow reached their ears. The team stood up as the vehicle glided into their clearing. Cayde-6 dismounted.

Worry flashed across the faces of the Awoken. Ace briefly smiled at the knowledge that his less expressive Exomind body gave him a better poker face.

“Guardians,” Cayde called out jovially.

“Cayde,” Ace answered, “What brings you out here?”

“You three,” the Hunter Vanguard replied, “I have a little something for you kids. I would’ve had it delivered sooner, but Brenner ran off... Shiro hasn’t been back in the Tower for weeks... I mean, all of my trusted scouts are out doing stuff for Ikora and Zavala, so I had to haul myself out of the Tower and do it myself.”

Ace snorted. It was a well known fact that Cayde looked for any excuse to escape the confines of the Tower.

“You kids were hard to find. I can’t tell you how many Ramen shops I had to check before I thought to come out here,” Cayde finished.

“Well, you found us,” Kaizyn responded, “How can we help?”

“Oh! Right!” Cayde strode forward. As he did, his ghost materialized an engram into his hand. “Who is this one for?”

“Kaizyn,” the ghost answered.

With a nod Cayde handed the engram to the female Titan. “I had Banshee duplicate a couple of the weapons from my personal stash for you and your mate.” A second engram appeared and Cayde handed it to Kaijae, “You two can decide who gets which one.”

Then the Hunter Vanguard turned to Ace, “I hear you already have a pretty amazing weapon on your arsenal, so I had Sundance dig this up for you.” A third engram appeared in his hand, which Cayde immediately presented to Ace, “This is a set of gear that the Gensym Scribes awarded me for helping them hunt down a particularly nasty little beastie that ha-”

“Cayde,” Sundance interrupted.

“Sorry. Come by my office if you want to hear the story. For now, I thought you might like to spruce up your gear,” Cayde stepped back and did a twirl, “It doesn’t really match my look, but I think you could pull it off, Hunter.”

Ace looked into the data engram and could see an image of the armor floating in the casing. “Thank you, Cayde,” the Hunter replied.

“Think nothing of it, kids. You earned this little bonus for the work you did,” Cayde then turned about and strode back to his waiting sparrow. As he walked, he called back over his shoulder “Stay out of trouble until we call on you, alright? You guys will be putting these new toys to work soon.”

As Cayde sped away, Kaizyn quietly commented, “Why do I feel like these are less ‘rewards’ and more like preparation supplies?”

Ace sighed heavily before replying, “Let’s enjoy the last ten days of being grounded. They definitely have some work planned for us.”


End file.
